PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


BT  201  . B344  1877 
Ballantine,  Elisha,  1810 

1886  . 

Christ  his  own  witness 


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266  BAUANT1NE  &**■  '  icaUy  «-  I 

Own  Witness  •  ^  cr.  8vo,  1  *» 
ranged  and  •  ^ jew  York, 


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in  2019  with  funding  from 
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CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


TOPICALLY  ARRANGED  AND  STUDIED. 


BY 

y 

Rev.  E.  BALLANTINE, 

PROFESSOR  OF  GREEK  IN  INDIANA  UNIVERSITY. 


“  Though  I  bear  Record  of  Myself,  yet  my  Record  is  True.” — Jesus  Christ. 


NEW  YORK, 


ANSON  D.  F.  RANDOLPH  &  COMPANY, 

900  BROADWAY,  COR.  20th  ST. 


COPYRIGHT,  1877,  BY 

ANSON  D.  F.  RANDOLPH  &  COMPANY. 


NEW  YORK: 


EDWARD  O.  JENKINS, 
Printer  and  Stereotyper, 
20  North  William  St. 


ROBERT  RUTTER, 
Binder , 

116  and  118  East  14th  Street. 


INTRODUCTION. 


It  is  one  of  the  best  signs  of  the  times  that  the 
mind  and  heart  of  the  religious  world  have  been  so 
much  concentrated  upon  the  Person  of  Christ.  This 
general  study  of  the  character  and  history  of  the 
Author  of  Christianity  must  result  in  the  advance¬ 
ment  of  truth  and  piety,  and  should,  therefore,  have 
all  the  helps  by  which  thorough  investigation  and 
discussion  may  be  assisted.  It  seems  but  appropriate 
that  in  these  investigations  Jesus  own  testimony  re¬ 
specting  Himself  be  allowed  an  important  place 
as  being  fundamental  to  the  argument.  It  is  pro¬ 
posed,  therefore,  to  present  in  full,  in  this  volume,  all 
of  the  recorded  sayings  of  Jesus  in  which  He  refers 
to  Himself,  arranged  with  reference  to  the  points  on 
which  they  bear,  with  remarks  attached  designed  to 
show  their  meaning,  and  to  present  clearly  the  sum¬ 
mary  of  their  testimony.* 

It  is  hoped  that  the  study  of  the  words  of  Jesus 
thus  arranged  and  made  to  throw  their  concentrated 

*  It  is  principally  in  the  addition  of  these  explanatory  remarks 
that  this  book  differs  from  what  may  be  called  its  first  edition, 
printed  several  years  ago,  under  the  title  of  Sua  de  Se ;  or,  “  The 
Words  of  the  Lord  Jesus  respecting  Himself.” — Western  Tract 
and  Book  Society,  Cincinnati. 


IV 


INTRODUCTION. 


light  upon  the  various  points  of  His  character  and 
history,  will  be  instructive  and  edifying,  not  only  to 
the  Christian  to  whom  all  the  teachings  of  Christ  are 
precious  ;  but  also  to  the  many  who,  yet  undecided  in 
regard  to  Him,  are  willing  without  prejudice  to  weigh 
all  the  evidence  and  to  arrive  at  the  truth. 


SYNOPSIS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

WITNESSES  OTHER  THAN  HIMSELF  APPEALED  TO  BY  JESUS. 

PAGE, 

1 .  Importance  of  a  man ’s  having  other  Witnesses  besides 

himself.  .........  I 

2.  Jesus  names  His  other  Witnesses,  and  adduces  their 

testimony  in  part . 3 

They  are : 

3.  John  the  Baptist ; . 3 

4.  His  own  Miracles ; . 5 

5.  His  own  Predictions  ; . 7 

6.  His  Resurrection  from  the  dead;  .  .  .  .10 

7.  The  Apostles  and  other  Primitive  Preachers  of 

the  Gospel ; . 1 1 

8.  The  Love  and  Unity  of  His  Followers;  .  .11 

9.  The  Holy  Spirit ; . 12 

10.  The  Father . 13 

CHAPTER  II. 

WORTH  OF  JESUS’  TESTIMONY  IN  REGARD  TO  HIMSELF. 

11.  Validity  of  one’s  own  Testimony.  .  .  .  .16 

12.  Conclusion  on  the  Worth  of  Jesus’  Testimony  to 

Himself. . 19 

CHAPTER  III. 

JESUS’  EXISTENCE  BEFORE  HIS  LIFE  ON  EARTH. 

13.  He  asserts  His  Pre-existence,  and  whence  He  came 

into  the  world . 

(v' 


21 


vi 


SYNOPSIS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

JESUS’  COMING'  into  the  world. 

14.  He  declares  Why  He  came  into  the  world  :  .  .  .24 

1 5.  That  His  great  Object  was  to  Save  7nc?i ;  .  .24 

16.  As  means  to  that  end,  First,  To  Die ;  .  .  .  .26 

17.  Second,  to  Teach  the  Truth  ; . 26 

18.  And  to  institute  other  necessary  instrumentalities.  .  27 

19.  He  mentions  some  unhappy  results  of  His  coming.  .  28 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  MESSIAHSHIP  OF  JESUS. 

20.  Jesus  claimed  to  be  the  Messiah . 30 

21.  And  applied  to  Himself  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testa¬ 

ment  relating  to  the  Messiah . 35 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  HUMAN  NATURE  OF  JESUS. 

22.  Jesus  spoke  of  Himself  as  a  Man. 

23.  Words  of  Jesus  in  reference  to  His  family  and  kin¬ 

dred. 

24.  Identified  Himself,  declaring  who  He  was.  . 

25.  Jesus  as  a  Jew . 

26.  Jesus  as  a  citizen.  ...... 


.  40 


.  42 
.  46 
.  48 
.  50 


CHAPTER  VII. 

JESUS’  EARTHLY  LIFE. 

27.  Facts  in  His  life  mentioned  by  Him . 52 

28.  References  in  His  words  to  His  Abiding  Places,  His 

Visits  and  Interviews. . 53 

29.  His  notices  of  His  occasional  and  ordinary  Associ¬ 

ates  ;  . . 56 


SYNOPSIS. 


•  9 

VJl 

30.  Of  His  Employments  ; . 58 

31.  Of  His  Miracles; . 59 

32.  Of  His  Personal  Habits  ; . 60 

33.  Of  His  Experiences  of  Bodily  Wants  ;  .  .  .  .62 

34.  Of  His  Experiences  by  the  direct  Agency  of  men  ;  .  64 

35.  Of  His  Experiences  of  Joy  arising  directly  from  His 

work ; . 71 

36.  And  of  Sorrow  : . 74 

37.  Of  His  Death,  Resurrection,  and  Life  in  Heaven.  .  80 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS, 

38.  His  words  reveal  and  assert,  First,  Human  Traits  of 

character . 81 

39.  Secondly,  Jesus  claimed  Superhuman  Traits  and 

Attributes. . 90 

40.  That  there  is  a  Mystery  in  His  nature  unfathomable 

to  creatures  ; . 91 

>U-  T  hat  He  Existed  from  Eternity,  and  will  exist  to 

Eternity ;  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  *93 

42.  That  He  is  the  First  Cause  of  all  things — the  Crea¬ 

tor  of  all. . 95 

43.  Jesus  claimed  Superhuman  Knowledge ;  .  .  .96 

44.  He  claimed  to  Know  Men ; . 9 7 

45.  And  the  facts  about  Spiritual  Beings  ;  .  .  *99 

46.  He  claimed  to  know  all  concerning  Himself ;  .  .100 

47.  And  concerning  the  Father. . 104 

48.  On  Jesus’  knowledge  in  reference  to  the  time  of  the 

Final  Judgment. . 104 

49.  Jesus  claimed  that  His  Presence  is  Unconfi?ied ;  .  .  108 

50.  That  He  has  Unlimited  Power ; . no 

51.  That  He  ranhs  above  all  creatures,  is  greater  than 

all; . 1 12 

52.  That  He  possesses  Sovereignty  of  Will;  .  .  .  113 

53.  And  Sufreme  Authority ;  .  .  .  .  .  .115 


S  Y NOP  SIS. 


•  •  • 

Vlll 

54.  Asserted  such  over  Angels  and  Devils.  .  .  .116 

55.  Claimed  the  actual  exercise  of  these  Powers  and  Pre¬ 

rogatives  ;  .  .  .  . . 1 1 8 

56.  Made  Laws  and  declared  them  binding.  .  .  .119 

57.  Summary  of  Jesus’  teaching  in  regard  to  His  Attri¬ 


butes.  . 122 

CHAPTER  IX. 

JESUS’  RELATIONS  TO  THE  FATHER. 

58.  Jesus  claimed  to  be  the  Son  of  God ;  .  .  .  .123 

1  59.  That  as  Son  He  is  loved  by  the  Father:  .  .  *131 

60.  That  He  loves  the  Father  : . 132 

I  61.  That  as  Son  He  is  Subordinate  to  the  Father;  .  .  133 


62.  That  He  is  subject  to  the  Father’s  will  and  ordering:  .  135 

63.  That  He  was  commissioned  by  the  Father  and  sent 


into  the  world  to  do  a  Work . 135 

:  64.  Jesus  prayed  to  the  Father . 137 

65.  As  Son  He  claimed  to  be  in  closest  union  with  the 

Father.  * . 140 

A  66.  Asserted  that  He  receives  all  His  Powers,  Authority, 

and  Activity  from  the  Father  : . 143 

67.  That  He  does  the  same  things  as  the  Father:  .  .  147 

68.  That  in  Him  the  Father  is  seen,  known,  despised, 

hated,  believed,  and  received  by  men  :  .  .  .149 

69.  That  He  shares  with  the  Father  in  the  Ownership 

of  all  things . 150 

70.  That  He  alone  sees  and  knows  the  Father  immedi¬ 

ately  and  perfectly . 1 5 1 

71.  That  He  will  return  to  the  Father  and  sit  at  His 

right  hand,  sharing  His  throne  and  glory.  .  .152 


CHAPTER  X. 

RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 

72.  Jesus  asserted  that  He  had  the  constant  Presence  and 

Inworking  of  the  Spirit : . 155 


SYNOPSIS. 


ix 


73.  That  He  gives  the  Spirit  to  men . 156 

74.  Summary  of  the  teachings  of  Jesus  concerning  the 

Relations  which  exist  between  Himself  and  the 
Holy  Spirit. . 159 


CHAPTER  XI. 

RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  MEN  IN  GENERAL. 

75.  Jesus  recognized  the  fact  that  men  are  depraved  and 


guilty,  and  so  under  condemnation . 161 

76.  Jesus  declared  Himself  the  Saviour  of  Men .  .  .  164 

77.  That  His  death  was  an  atonement  for  men’s  sin.  .  .166 

78.  That  He  taught  men  the  way  of  life . 169 

79.  The  fact  and  object  of  Jesus’  Teaching .  .  .  .169 

80.  The  matter  of  Jesus’  Teaching . 172 

81.  The  manner  of  His  Teaching — His  Parables.  .  .173 

82.  Jesus’  hivitations  to  men . 174 


83.  Responsibility  of  men  in  reference  to  the  teachings 

and  invitations  of  Jesus . 176 

84.  Jesus’  Patience  with  men  who  delay  to  believe  in  and 

accept  Him. . 178 

85.  His  Pity  for  those  who  reject  His  Grace.  .  .  .178 

CHAPTER  XII. 

RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS. 


86.  Acceptance’of  His  Invitations  by  men.  .  .  .180 

87.  Jesus’  Joy  in  receiving  those  who  come  to  Him.  .  .  183 

88.  The  Cojiditions  of  Discipleship  as  fixed  by  Jesus.  .  185 

89.  He  declared  that  those  who  come  to  Him  were 

chosen  by  Himself.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .189 

90.  That  those  who  believe  in  Him  were  given  to  Him  by 

the  Father. . 191 

91.  That  they  are  taught,  quickened,  and  drawn  to  Him 

by  the  Father  and  Himself. . 193 

92.  That  the  union  between  Himself  and  His  people  is 

perpetual  and  perpetually  effective . 199 


X 


SYNOPSIS. 


93.  Jesus  recognized  His  people’s  knowledge,  faith,  and 

love,  and  invites  and  cherishes  them.  .  .  .  201 

94.  Asserted  that  He  forgives  His  people’s  sins  and  de¬ 

livers  them  from  sin’s  pollution  and  power.  .  .  204 

95.  That  He  loves  His  people . 205 

96.  That  He  will  manifest  Himself  to  them  and  dwell 

with  them.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  206 

97.  Jesus  understood  that  His  presence  is  joyful  and  His 

absence  painful  to  His  people . 207 

98.  Declared  that  He  loves  to  promote  His  people’s  joy 

and  to  make  it  full . 208 

99.  Jesus  counts  His  People  His  nearest  kindred.  .  .  208 

100.  That  He  does  the  lowest  offices  of  love  to  them.  .  .  209 

101.  That  He  regards  what  is  done  to  His  people  as  done 

to  Himself. . 210 

102.  Jesus  authorized  His  people  to  pray  in  His  name.  .  21 1 

103.  Declared  that  He  intercedes  for  them  with  God,  .  .212 

104.  That  He  will  Himself  answer  their  prayers.  .  .213 

105.  That  He  watches  over,  protects,  helps,  blesses,  and 

preserves  His  people  to  the  end.  .  .  .  .214 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH. 

106.  Jesus  has  united  His  people  into  one  body,  the 

Chtirch.  .  t . 218 

107.  Jesus  declared  that  He  himself  is  the  Foundation  of 

the  Church. . 220 

108.  Jesus  claims  the  Church  as  His  own:  that  He  is  its 

Head  and  King. . 334 

109.  Asserts  His  maintenance  of  a  constant  Rule  and 

Watchful  Care  over  His  Church . 236 

1 10.  That  the  Holy  Spirit  is  His  Agent  in  the  Church  on 

earth,  with  the  office  and  authority  of  Paraclete.  .  238 
in.  Jesus  made  Laws  for  the  Church.  ....  240 
1 12.  He  sanctioned  the  United  Worship  of  His  people, 
and  gave  a  Great  Promise  in  reference  to  it. 


.  240 


SYNOPSIS. 


XI 


1 1 3.  Jesus  instituted  and  explained  the  ordinance  of  the 

Lord's  Supper.  ........  242 

1 14.  Jesus  selected  and  sent  forth  Ministers  of  the  Word.  .  249 

1 1 5.  He  armed  the  first  preachers  of  the  Gospel  with 


Miraculous  Powers . 252 

1 16.  Jesus  assigns  to  each  minister  His  work  and  its  dura¬ 

tion.  . . •.  .  -253 

11 7.  As  Chief  Shepherd  He  recognizes  the  fidelity,  the 

graces,  and  the  sufferings  of  the  Churches.  .  .254 

1 1 8.  He  sees  also  the  sins  of  the  Churches.  .  .  .  256 

1 19.  He  admonishes  guilty  churches  and  church-members, 

counsels,  encourages,  and  invites  them  to  His  love 
and  gracious  gifts . 261 

120.  He  threatens  punishment  to  heedless  and  impenitent 

churches  and  church-members . 262 

1 2 1.  Administers  Providence  in  behalf  of  His  Churches.  .  263 


.  CHAPTER  XIV. 

JESUS’  RELATIONS  TO  ALL  MEN  AS  JUDGE. 

122.  Jesus  declares  Himself  the  fudge  of  ?nen.  .  .  .  265 

123.  Asserted  that  He  will  come  one  day  to  Judge  the 

world. . 267 

124.  That  He  will  come  suddenly  to  Judgment.  .  .  .  268 

125.  That  the  time  of  His  coming  to  Judgment  is  un¬ 

known.  .  ....  269 

126.  Jesus  warned  men  to  be  ready  for  Plis  coming,  and 

shows  them  haw  they  may  be  ready.  .  .  .  270 

127.  Remarks  on  the  five  preceding  sections.  .  .  .271 

128.  Jesus  asserted  that  He  will  raise  all  the  dead.  .  .  276 

129.  That  He  will  gather  all  men  before  Him  for  judg¬ 

ment.  . 277 

130.  That  He  will  judge  them  when  thus  assembled.  .  .  278 

1 31.  That  He  will  famish  the  wicked. . 285 

132.  But  bless  and  reward  the  good. . 287 


V 


Xll 


SYNOPSIS. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  RESULTS  OF  JESUS’  MESSIANIC  WORK  TO  HIMSELF  AND 

TO  GOD. 

T  33.  Jesus  declared  that  for  all  His  work  as  Messiah,  He 


will  be  glorified. . 299 

134.  That  both  the  Spirit  and  the  Father  do  and  will 

glorify  Him . 300 


135.  And  that  the  Great  Result  of  all  His  Messianic  Work 
is  the  Glory  of  God . 


301 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

WITNESSES  OTHER  THAN  HIMSELF  APPEALED  TO 

BY  JESUS. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth,  as  He  is  represented  to  us  in  the 
New  Testament,  constantly  recognized  the  necessity 
of  Testimony  as  the  foundation  of  a  rational  faith. 
Accordingly  He  demanded  credit  only  as  He  laid 
before  men  testimony  concerning  Himself.  Who 
and  what  the  witnesses  are,  other  than  Himself,  that 
Jesus  appealed  to,  and  what  He  said  of  their  testi¬ 
mony,  is  given  first  below.  In  the  next  chapter  will 
be  found  His  estimate  of  the  pertinence  and  worth 
of  His  own  testimony  to  Himself,  and  then,  in  those 
that  follow,  that  testimony  in  detail. 

I.  IMPORTANCE  OF  HAVING  OTHER  WITNESSES. 

The  need  of  other  testimony  besides  one’s  own  is 
recognized  by  Jesus,  in  His  own  case,  in  the  words  : 
If  I  honour  myself  my  honour  is  nothing:  it  is  my 
Father  that  honour eth  me}  His  meaning  plainly  is, 


»  John  viii.  54. 


2 


CHRIST  IIIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


If  I  ALONE  honor  myself,  etc.  :  If  my  claim  to  honor 
is  unsupported  by  another.  Any  self-commendation 
which  is  not  sustained  by  that  of  others  is  worthless ; 
but  when  accompanied,  as  in  His  case,  by  the  highest 
endorsement,  has  value.  Again,  and  more  directly  to 
the  point  before  us,  Jesus  says  :  If  I  bear  witness  of 
myself  my  witness  is  not  true :  there  is  another  that 
bearcth  witness  of  me}  Jesus  does  not  mean  that  His 
own  testimony  to  Himself  is  necessarily  false ;  for 
elsewhere  He  says:  Though  I  bear  record  of  myself 
my  record  is  true  '}  In  both  these  cited  passages  Jesus 
recognizes  a  fundamental  principle  of  Evidence, 
namely,  The  testimony  which  one  gives  in  his  own 
behalf  MAY  BE  true  ;  but  it  needs  for  its  confirma¬ 
tion  OTHER  testimony  from  independent  sources.  If 
such  other  testimony  be  not  forthcoming,  men  can 
not  be  required  to  admit  the  assertions  of  the  party 
himself.  If  there  be  no  other  testimony,  either  from 
competent  witnesses,  circumstances,  or  events,  or 
lastly,  the  known  character  of  the  individual  for 
truth  and  knowledge,  his  testimony  is  worthless. 

Submitting  Himself  to  these  unchangeable  Rules 
of  Evidence,  Jesus  adduces  other  witnesses  in  sup¬ 
port  of  His  character  and  claims.  We  will  hear  Him 


'John  v.  31,  32. 

2  John  viii.  14.  The  Greek  words  here  rendered  “  bear  record  ” 
and  “  record  ”  are  hclqtvqu)  and  / laqrvQtav ,  the  same  that  in  the 
preceding  quotation  are  translated  “  bear  witness  ”  and  “  wit¬ 
ness.”  This  variety  in  the  translation  of  the  same  Greek  words 
is  a  characteristic  of  our  English  Bible. 


APPEALS  TO  OTHER  WITNESSES. 


3 

as  He  names  them,  and  will  notice,  at  the  same  time, 
the  points  on  which  He  adduces  their  testimony. 

2.  JESUS  NAMES  HIS  OTHER  WITNESSES  AND  AD¬ 
DUCES,  IN  PART,  THEIR  TESTIMONY. 

Having  said,  in  the  words  already  quoted,1  that  His 
own  testimony  would  be  worthless,  if  unsupported, 
J  esus  immediately  adds  :  There  is  another  that  beareth 
witness  of  me ,  and  I  know  that  the  witness  which  he 
witnesseth  of  me  is  true? 

Who  is  that  other  Witness  to  whom  Jesus  here 
refers?  If  we  read  verses  31-37  continuously,  we 
shall  find  that  He  means  the  Father.  But  in  the 
course  of  these  verses  He  mentions  others  also. 
Elsewhere  still  others.  We  will  begin  with  the 
subordinate  ones  and  so  go  on  to  the  highest. 

3.  JOHN  TPIE  BAPTIST  A  WITNESS  FOR  JESUS. 

Jesus  says  of  John  :  Ye  sent  unto  John ,  and  he  bare 
witness  unto  the  truth?  He  gives  the  name  of  the 
witness,  and  the  character  of  his  testimony.  The 
testimony  of  John  the  Baptist  is  given  more  or  less 
fully  by  all  the  Evangelists.4 * 6  Because  of  this  testi¬ 
mony  and  of  other  truths  which  John  taught,  Jesus 
calls  him  u  a  burning  and  a  shining  light.'  '  But ,  He 


’John  v.  31.  2  John  v.  32.  3  John  v.  33. 

4  See  Mat.,  ch.  iii.  ;  Mark,  ch.  i.;  Luke,  ch.  iii. ;  John,  ch.  i. 

15-  21,  26-36,  and  ch.  iii.  27-36. 

6  John  v.  35. 


4 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


says  in  the  same  connection,  I  receive  not  testimony 
from  man }  He  does  not  mean  by  these  words  to 
reject  John’s  testimony  :  for  He  commends  those  he 
is  addressing  because  they  “  were  willing  for  a  season 
to  rejoice  in  his  light.”  He  means  to  say  that  He 
does  not  DEPEND  ON  John,  or  on  any  man  for  cor¬ 
roboration  :  He  has  the  witness  of  God. 

The  simple  majesty  of  these  words  of  Jesus  must 
strike  every  susceptible  reader,  and  can  scarcely  be 
overlooked  by  a  careless  one.  They  come  fittingly 
from  one  who  is  conscious  of  a  nature  and  support 
and  resources  higher  than  human.  This  is  one  of  those 
“  undesigned  (I  would  rather  say,  ‘  incidental ’)  coin¬ 
cidences,”  one  of  the  many  instances  of  speech  in  per¬ 
fect  keeping  with  His  higher  nature  and  conscious¬ 
ness,  which  are  continually  appearing  in  the  mien,  the 
words,  and  the  actions  of  Jesus.  There  is  throughout 
His  life,  as  given  in  great  detail  by  the  Evangelists,  in 
all  the  moments  and  situations  of  that  life,  a  consist¬ 
ency,  easy,  natural,  and,  to  the  last,  thoroughly  sus¬ 
tained.  The  consistent  maintenance  of  this  lofty  tone 
in  spirit  and  language  would  be  simply  impossible  for 
one  who  was  falsely  making  the  claims  which  Jesus 
made  ;  and,  as  Rousseau  felt  and  said,  the  conception 
and  representation  of  such  a  character  and  life  by  a 
writer  of  fiction  would  be  even  more  impossible. 

These  sublime  words  of  Jesus  also  put  to  confusion 
the  assumption  earnestly  maintained,  and  sedulously 
inculcated  by  some,  that  the  Bible,  its  Author  and 


1  John  v.  34. 


APPEALS  TO  OTHER  WITNESSES. 


5 


its  Doctrines,  depend  finally,  for  all  their  evidence 
and  authority,  on  THE  TESTIMONY  OF  THE  CHURCH. 
Jesus  says  :  “  I  receive  not  testimony  from  man  .” 

4.  JESUS’  MIRACLES  WITNESSES  TO  HIM. 

Jesus  then  proceeds  to  cite  another  class  of  wit¬ 
nesses  :  But  I  have  greater  witness  than  that  of  John  : 
for  the  Works  which  the  Father  hath  given  me  to  finish, 
tJie  same  works  that  I  do  bear  witness  of  me  that  the 
Father  hath  sent  me} 

Jesus’  meaning  is  plain  :  His  miracles  are  a  testi¬ 
mony  in  His  support.  Note  that  the  special  point 
supported  by  their  testimony  is,  according  to  these 
words,  that  “  he  was  sent  of  God.”  Again,  He  says  : 
Though  ye  believe  not  me,  believe  the  works ;  that  ye 
may  know  and  believe  that  the  Father  is  in  me  and  I 
in  him}  The  point  mentioned  here  as  proved  is,  the 
intimate  union,  the  mutual  indwelling,  and  so  the 
united  action  of  the  Father  and  Himself.  Again,  to 
His  disciples  in  His  last  discourse  :  Believe  me  that  I 
am  in  the  Father  arid  the  Father  in  me,  or  else  believe 
me  for  the  very  works  sake}  He  challenges  their 
faith,  first  upon  His  own  testimony,  and  then  upon 
the  evidence  of  His  miracles,  and  upon  the  same 
point  as  before.  Again,  when  messengers  from  John 
brought  from  their  master  the  question,  Art  thou  he 
that  should  come,  or  do  we  look  for  another?  Jesus 
referred  them  and  John  to  His  miracles  for  an  answer. 
He  was  just  then  performing  many  ;  and  He  said  to 
them  :  Go  and  tell  John  again  those  things  which  ye  do 

J  John  v.  36.  2  John  x.  38.  3  J°hn  xiv.  1 T . 


6 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


hear  and  see :  the  blind  receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame 
walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear,  the 
dead  are  raised  up,  and  the  poor  have  the  Gospel  preached 
imto  them}  Jesus  means  to  say  that  such  facts  should 
settle  the  question  of  His  Messiahship.  His  miracles, 
especially  when  looked  at  in  the  light  of  Scripture 
prophecy,  proved  Him  to  be  the  Expected  One. 

Such  is' Jesus’  doctrine  concerning  the  worth  and 
validity  of  His  miracles  as  witnesses  to  Himself.  And 
when  we  consider  their  number  and  their  character, 
that  they  were  outward  facts  and  events,  presented 
to  the  sight  and  hearing  and  touch  and  taste  of  men  ; 
that  they  were  done  openly,  many  of  them  in  the 
presence  of  thousands  of  people,  of  whom  many  were 
intelligent  and  watchful  enemies ;  that  their  results 
were  permanent  in  the  experience  of  those  on  whom 
they  were  performed,  and  that  they  showed  in  Him 
a  power  over  inanimate  nature  and  its  forces  and 
laws,  over  human  infirmities,  human  life  and  death, 
over  human  minds,  departed  souls  and  demons  of 
darkness  ;  we  must  feel  that  Jesus  claimed  for  them  no 
more  than  of  right  belonged  to  them.  Remember 
that  Jesus  thus  appealed  to  the  evidence  of  His  mira¬ 
cles  when  in  controversy  with  His  enemies.  This  He 
could  not  have  done  if  they  were  not  well  known  and 
admitted  to  be  undeniable.  As  He  did  thus  appeal 
to  them,  their  truth  is  unquestionable,  and  their 
worth  as  testimony  is  not  to  be  disputed. 

Those  words  of  Jesus  :  The  works  which  the  Father 


1  Mat.  xi.  2-6,  Luke  vii.  19-23. 


APPEALS  TO  OTHER  WITNESESS. 


7 


hath  given  me  to  finish,  the  same  works  that  I  do  hear 
witness  of  me,1  might,  perhaps,  be  understood  as  im- 
plying  that  His  miracles  were  themselves  the  Father’s 
testimony  in  His  behalf.  But  this  interpretation  is 
corrected  by  the  next  verse ;  He  immediately  adds  : 
And  the  Father  himself  which  hath  sent  me  hath  borne 
witness  of  me 7  By  these  words  He  clearly  distin¬ 
guishes  between  the  testimony  of  His  miracles  and 
that  of  the  Father.  They  bear  their  own  testimony, 
as  independent  facts  addressed  directly  to  men’s 
senses,  and  ought  to  command  belief  by  their  own 
power. 

5.  JESUS’  PREDICTIONS  WITNESSES. 

Jesus  said  to  His  disciples  :  Now  I  have  told  yon  be¬ 
fore  it  come  to  pass ,  that  when  it  is  come  to  pass,  ye 
might  believe .3 4  Believe  what  ?  In  the  preceding 
verse  He  had  spoken  of  His  leaving  them  and 
going  to  the  Father;  it  is  safe,  therefore,  to  under¬ 
stand  Him  as  referring  in  these  words  to  this  de¬ 
parture,  and  to  understand  Him  as  saying:  Now  I 
tell  you  (of  my  departure  to  the  Father)  before,  etc., 
that  when  it  is  come  ye  might  believe  (i.  e.,  that  I  am 
what  such  foreknowledge  and  such  an  exaltation  will 
show  me  to  be).  The  prediction  is  to  produce  faith  in 
them.  In  almost  the  same  words,  He  said  again : 
Now  I  tell  you  before  it  come,  that  when  it  is  come  to 
pass,  ye  may  believe  that  I  am  he}  Jesus  had  just 
spoken  of  Judas’  treachery:  His  prediction  when  ful- 

1  John  v.  36.  2  John  v.  37. 

3  John  xiv.  29.  See  on  this  passage  remarks  in  next  note. 

4  John  xiii.  19. 


8 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


filled  should  prove  to  them  the  truth  of  His  claim  to 
be  the  Messiah  (see  Note).  Again,  having  predicted 
the  persecutions  which  were  to  come  on  them,  He 
says  :  But  these  things  have  I  told  you ,  that  when  the 
time  shall  come ,  ye  may  remember  that  I  told  you  of 
them}  The  very  persecutions  which  they  experienced 
should  prove  to  them  His  foresight,  and  so  His  truth, 
and,  therefore,  strengthen  their  confidence  in  Him. 

That  which  these  particular  predictions  of  Jesus 
prove  in  regard  to  Him,  is  also  proved  by  all  His 
other  fulfilled  predictions.  Here  belong  not  only  His 
minute  and  often-repeated  predictions  of  His  suffer¬ 
ings,  of  His  death  and  resurrection,  which,  as  referring 
to  Himself,  are  to  be  studied  in  another  connection, 

Note. — The  point,  as  Jesus  states  it,  which  would  be  proved 
by  the  treachery  of  Judas  when  carried  out  according  to  His 
prediction  is,  in  the  English,  “  that  I  am  he.”  In  the  Greek  it  is 
simply  otl  kyt)  el/u,  “  that  I  am.”  But  elui  is  here  a  mere  copula, 
and  requires  some  predicate  word  or  phrase  to  complete  the 
sense.  What  is  the  predicate  word  or  phrase  to  be  supplied  ? 
The  English  translation  supplies  he,  whence  results  I  am  he, 
that  is,  the  Expected  One,  the  Messiah.  The  best  commentators 
agree  in  this  sense,  many  of  them  understanding  6  XqkjtSc  directly, 
/  am  the  Christ.  How  might  this  phrase,  eyO  el/u,  come  to  have 
this  meaning?  Perhaps  as  follows:  In  its  ordinary  use,  the 
proper  predicate  word  is  easily  supplied  from  the  context.  So  in 
cases  of  simple  identification,  when  the  disciples  each  in  turn 
asked  Jesus,  Is  it  I  ?  in  Greek,  /u/ tl  eyw  el/u  ;  Am  I,  i.  e.  he  who 
shall  betray  thee?  (Mat.  xxvi.  22.)  See  John  xviii.  4-8.  Iam 
(Jesus  of  Nazareth).  Also  when  the  disciples  were  frightened 
seeing  Jesus  walking  on  the  water,  He  quieted  them,  saying, 
Eyw  el/u,  “  I  am  ”  (he  whom  you  see),  “  It  is  I  ”  (John  vi.  20), 

1  John  xvi.  4. 


APPEALS  TO  OTHER  WITNESSES. 


9 


but  also  those  in  reference  to  the  coming  down  of 
the  Spirit  on  His  followers,  to  the  destruction  of  Je¬ 
rusalem,  and  the  dispersion  of  the  nation — the  fulfill¬ 
ment  of  which  having  taken  place  after  His  departure 
from  the  world,  gives  the  more  weight  to  their  testi¬ 
mony.  Indeed  this  testimony  of  Jesus’  Predictions 
is  doubtless  to  be  cumulative  with  advancing  time, 
and  opening  and  progressing  eternity.  For  Jesus  ut¬ 
tered  predictions  in  regard  to  the  final  triumph  of 
His  cause  in  the  world,  concerning  the  end  of  the 
world,  and  the  final  judgment  of  men  by  Himself, 
and  the  after  state  of  men,  each  of  which  predictions 
will,  doubtless,  by  its  fulfillment  in  order,  be  a  new 

Just  so  when  the  Samaritan  woman  had  said,  I  know  that  Messias 
cometh,  Jesus  answered,  E yw  el/u,  “  / that  speak  to  thee  am,”  i.  e. 
the  Messiah.  Now,  to  all  around  Jesus,  both  friends  and  enemies, 
the  great  question  was  that  of  His  Messiahshfp  :  Was  He  the 
Messiah.  “  Whom  do  men  say  that  I  am  ?  ”  “  Whom  say  ye  that 
I  am  ?  ”  “  We  have  found  the  Messias.”  Jesus  sometimes,  and 

especially  at  first,  for  prudential  reasons,  suppressed  the  great 
truth  of  His  Messiahship.  But,  as  people  could  bear  and  rightly 
use  the  truth,  He  asserted  it  continually,  as  He  did  to  the  dis¬ 
ciples,  to  the  Samaritan  woman,  to  the  man  cured  of  blindness 
(John  ix.  37).  And  the  affirming  phrase  would  be  in  Greek, 
lyd)  eljUL  6  Xgiarog,  “  I  am  the  Christ ;  ”  or,  when  all  understood 
what  the  point  asserted  was,  simply  E yo>  el/ui ;  well  rendered  by 
the  words,  “  I  am  he.”  So  we  find  the  phrase  evidently  with  this 
meaning  in  John  viii.  24,  28.  Jesus  said  impostors  would  come 
in  His  name,  saying,  E yu  el/u,  I  am  (Christ)  (Luke  xxi.  8).  This 
is  the  ground  on  which  we  are  justified  in  so  understanding 
the  words  under  discussion  (John  xiii.  19).  In  John  viii.  58, 
“Before  Abraham  was  I  am”  (tyo>  el/ut),  the  word  elfii  is  not  a 
mere  copula,  but  the  verb  of  existence.  See  section  41,  page  94. 


IO 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


demonstration,  to  those  who  witness  them,  of 
His  truth  and  authority.  One  word  of  His  covers 
them  all,  and  brings  them  within  the  scope  of  our 
present  studies  :  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away, 
but  my  word  shall  not  pass  away}  By  the  time  the 
last  recorded  prediction  of  Jesus  is  fulfilled,  there  will 
be  no  unbelievers  left. 

6.  JESUS’  DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION  WITNESSES. 

When  the  Jews  demanded  a  sign  from  Him  in 
proof  of  His  claims,  Jesus  said:  As  Jonas  was 
a  sign  to  the  Ninevites ,  so  shall  the  Son  of  man  be  to 
this  generation }  The  nature  of  this  sign  is  more 
plainly  taught  in  another  of  His  words:  An  evil  and 
adulterous  generation  seeketh  after  a  sign,  and  there 
shall  no  sign  be  given  to  it  but  the  sign  of  the  prophet 
Jonas.  For  qs  Jonas  was  three  days  and  three  nights 
in  the  whale' s  belly,  so  shall  the  Son  of  man  be  three 
days  and  three  nights  in  the  heart  of  the  earth} 

The  resurrection  of  Jesus  from  the  grave  after  ly¬ 
ing  there  dead  for  a  time  was  a  mighty  demonstration 
of  the  truth  of  His  Messiahship.  No  man  who  be¬ 
lieves  in  the  Resurrection  of  Jesus  doubts  His 
Messiahship.  None  ever  did  or  ever  will.  He  gave 
His  Resurrection  from  the  dead  as  a  sign — a  testi¬ 
mony — to  the  men  of  His  generation.  As  a  testimony 
it  is  now  as  valid  as  ever,  and  will  remain  so  till  “  He 
appears  in  glory  ”  and  “  every  eye  shall  see  Him.” 

1  Mat.  xxiv.  35  ;  Mark  xiii.  31  ;  Luke  xxi.  33. 

2  Luke  xi.  30. 

3  Mat.  xii.  39,  40  ;  Luke  xi.  29,  30. 


APPEALS  70  OTHER  WITNESSES. 


II 


7.  THE  APOSTLES  AND  OTHER  FIRST  PREACHERS 

OF  THE  GOSPEL  WITNESSES  TO  JESUS. 

Jesus  constituted  the  Apostles  and  other  primitive 
preachers  of  the  Gospel  witnesses  to  Himself.  Ye 
also  shall  bear  witness ,  because  ye  have  been  with  me 
from  the  beginning}  This  last  clause  shows  how  care¬ 
ful  Jesus  was  respecting  the  competency  of  His  wit¬ 
nesses.  On  another  occasion  He  said:  And  ye  shall 
be  witnesses  unto  me  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea, 
and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the  litter  most  parts  of  the 
earth?  What  a  vast  work  and  field  Jesus  assigned  for 
the  employment  and  influence  of  this  testimony  of 
His  ministers  !  That  they  remembered  the  conditions 
of  competency  as  He  had  made  them,  appears  from 
Peter’s  words,  Acts  i.  21,  and  from  those  of  Paul, 
1  Cor.  ix.  10  and  xv.  8. 

8.  THE  LOVE  AND  UNITY  OF  HIS  FOLLOWERS,  WIT¬ 

NESSES  FOR  JESUS. 

Jesus  also  desired  and  prayed  that  all  His  disciples, 
both  clerical  and  lay,  both  of  primitive  and  of  all  suc¬ 
ceeding  ages,  might  be  so  bound  together  by  mutual 
love  that  THEIR  UNITY  might  be  a  testimony  to  Him. 
By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples, 
if  ye  have  love  o?ie  to  another ?  Neither  pray  I  for 
these  alone ,  but  for  them  also  which  shall  believe  o?i 
me  through  their  zvord  :  that  they  all  may  be  one ;  as 
thou ,  Father,  art  in  me  and  I  in  thee ,  that  they  also 


1  John  xv.  27. 


2  Acts  i.  8. 


3  John  xiii.  35. 


12 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


may  be  one  in  us  ;  that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou 
hast  sent  me}  Noble  and  effective  testimony!  It 
was  powerful  in  primitive  times,  is  so  now,  and  will 
be  more  and  more  powerful  to  the  end. 

All  these  human  witnesses,  and  their  testimony  by 
word  and  life,  fall  within  the  remark  and  under  the 
derogation  already  quoted :  I  receive  not  testimony 
from  man?  But  not  so  the  miracles  and  the  predic¬ 
tions  of  Jesus,  nor  another  Witness  whom  Jesus 
spoke  of  as  about  to  testify  for  Him. 

9.  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  A  WITNESS  TO  JESUS. 

Jesus  said  in  His  last  discourse  to  His  disciples : 
But  when  the  Comforter  is  come  whom  I  will  send  unto 
you  from  the  Father ,  even  the  Spirit  of  Truth  which 
proceedeth  from  the  Father ,  He  shall  testify  of  me} 
And  again :  Hozvbeit  when  he  the  Spirit  of  Truth  is 

come ,  he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth . He 

shall  glorify  me  ;  for  he  shall  receive  of  mine  and  shall 
show  it  unto  you.  All  things  that  the  Father  hath  are 
mine  ;  therefore  said  I  that  he  shall  take  of  mine  and 
shall  show  it  unto  you} 

The  Divine  Spirit  is  a  Witness  for  Jesus!  As  to 
the  matter  and  the  method  of  His  testimony,  Jesus 
said  :  He  shall  take  of  mine  and  show  it  unto  you. 
History  and  Scripture  must  help  us  interpret  these 
words.  From  them  we  learn  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
testified  to  Jesus  by  His  enlightening  and  inspiring 
the  apostles,  enabling  them  to  understand  correctly, 


1  John  xvii.  20,  21. 
3  John  xv.  26. 


3  John  v.  34.  See  §3. 

4  John  xvi.  13,  14. 


APPEALS  TO  OTHER  WITNESSES. 


13 


to  teach-  clearly,  to  maintain  convincingly,  and  to 
write  down  infallibly  and  in  a  form  best  adapted  to 
its  object,  the  Truth  in  regard  to  Jesus — the  Gospel 
of  Id  is  salvation.  As  the  Spirit  showed  the  things 
of  Christ  to  the  disciples,  they  showed  them  to  their 
contemporaries,  and,  through  their  writings,  to  the 
world  at  large  in  all  ages.  So  the  testimony  of  the 
Spirit  continues  to  be  given,  and  will  be  given  as  long 
as  the  New  Testament  is  read,  the  Gospel  preached, 
and  the  work  of  conversion  and  sanctification  goes  on. 

IO.  THE  FATHER  A  WITNESS  TO  JESUS. 

In  naming  the  Witnesses  who  testify  to  Him,  Jesus 
has  already,  as  we  see,  gone  within  the  circle  of  the 
Sacred  Three.  And  of  these  He  names  not  the 
Spirit  only.  It  is  my  Father  that  honour eth  me}  And 
the  Father  that  sent  me  bear  eth  witness  of  me}  And 
the  Father  himself  which  hath  sent  me ,  hath  borne 
witness  of  me} 

The  manner  of  the  Father’s  testimony  intended 
by  Jesus,  can  be  inferred  from  the  words  which  im¬ 
mediately  follow  the  last  quotation.  Ye  have  neither 
heard  his  voice  at  any  time  nor  seen  his  shape.  And  ye 
have  not  his  word  abiding  in  you.  .  .  .  Search  the  Scrip¬ 
tures  :  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life ;  and 
they  are  they  which  testify  of  me}  We  understand 
Jesus  as  teaching  here  that  the  Father  bore  testi¬ 
mony  to  Flim  by  the  VOICE  which  spoke  from  heaven 
at  His  baptism  and  His  transfiguration,  and  by  SCRIP- 

2  John  viii.  18. 

4  John  v.  37,  38,  39. 


1  John  viii.  54. 
3  John  v.  37. 


14 


CHRIST  HIS  OlVN  WITNESS. 


TURK,  which  is  “  the  Word  of  God.”  The  voice  from 
heaven  said  :  This  is  my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I 
AM  WELL-PLEASED.1  The  Scriptures  testify  of  Him 
throughout  ;  for,  once,  “  beginning  at  Moses  and  all 
the  prophets  he  expounded  in  all  the  Scriptures,” 
unto  the  two  going  to  Emmaus,  “  the  things  con¬ 
cerning  himself.”  2 

In  these  two  ways,  then,  the  Father  bears  testi¬ 
mony  to  the  Son.  The  voice  addressed  to  the  ear, 
was  both  transient  and  heard  by  few.  The  written 
word  is  far  more  full,  is  permanent,  can  be  read 
and  re-read  continually,  and  its  copies  can  be  indefi¬ 
nitely  multiplied  and  diffused  among  men.  Every¬ 
where  and  always,  being  read,  it  testifies  of  Jesus; 
and  He  invites  men  to  “  search  ”  it,  and  so  learn  its 
testimony. 

As  both  the  Father  and  the  Spirit  are  witnesses  to 
Jesus,  we  are  prepared  to  appreciate  His  meaning  and 
His  feelings  when  He  said  :  “  I  receive  not  testimony 
from  man.” 

The  other  Witnesses,  therefore,  whom  Jesus  names 
as  bearing  testimony  to  Him,  are  John  the  Baptist, 


1  Mat.  iii.  17;  compare  Mark  i.  11,  and  Luke  iii.  22.  For  the 
words  of  the  transfiguration  see  Mat.  xvii.  5,  Mark  ix.  7,  Luke 
ix.  35.  Peter,  one  of  the  three  present  at  the  transfiguration, 
long  after  refers  to  the  scene,  and  quotes  the  words  (2  Ep.  i. 
16,  17);  and  then  he,  too,  passes  from  the  testimony  of  the  voice 
to  that  of  Scripture,  and  sets  this  above  the  other :  “  We  have 
also  a  more  sure  word  of  prophecy  to  which  ye  do  well  that  ye 
take  heed.” 

2  Luke  xxiv.  27. 


APPEALS  TO  OTHER  WITNESSES. 


15 


His  own  Miracles,  His  Predictions,  His  Resurrection 
from  the  Dead,  the  Apostles  and  other  Primitive 
Preachers  of  the  Gospel,  the  Love  and  Unity  of  His 
Followers,  the  Divine  Spirit,  and  the  Father. 

The  special  points  of  their  testimony  are  not  all 
mentioned  by  Jesus.  He  names,  indeed,  only  a  few 
of  them.  The  rest  can  be  collected  from  the  sacred 
record.  The  great  point,  in  support  of  which  He 
appeals  to  them,  is  His  own  Messiahship.  This  is 
plain  from  all  His  words  which  have  been  adduced.1 
The  special  points  which  He  mentions  are  all  in¬ 
cluded  in  this  one  :  for  instance,  that  He  was  “  sent 
by  the  Father,”  that  “  he  is  in  the  Father,  and  the 
Father  in  him.”  “  The  Truth  ”  must  be  that  which 
He  taught  of  Himself;  but  He  says  that  John  the 
Baptist  “  bore  witness  to  the  truth,”  and  that  the 
Spirit  would  “  lead  the  disciples  into  all  truth.” 


‘See  §  5,  p.  8,  Note. 


CHAPTER  II. 


SAYINGS  OF  JESUS  IN  REGARD  TO  HIS  OWN  TESTI¬ 
MONY  TO  HIMSELF. 

II.  WORTH  OF  JESUS’  TESTIMONY. 

One  who  is  able  to  produce  such  other  Witnesses 
as  Jesus  does,  bearing  testimony  to  Him,  IS  ENTITLED 
TO  GIVE  ALSO  HIS  OWN.  At  least,  his  testimony  de¬ 
serves  a  hearing. 

Let  us  consider  this  point  a  moment :  the  worth  of 
Jesus’  testimony  given  in  regard  to  Himself. 

He  did  indeed  say  what  we  have  already  quoted  : 
If  I  bear  witness  of  myself  my  witness  is  not  true } 
We  understood  His  meaning  to  be,  If  I  alone  bear 
testimony  to  myself,  unsustained  by  that  of  others, 
and  without  support  from  independent  facts  and  cir¬ 
cumstances,  THEN  my  testimony  is  worthless.  We 
have  seen  that  the  actual  state  of  the  case  is  quite  dif¬ 
ferent  from  this.  It  is  such  as  justifies  us  in  giving  a 
careful  attention  to  all  that  Jesus  may  say,  and  in  al¬ 
lowing  it  the  highest  authority.  This  conclusion  will 
be  immensely  strengthened  by  the  study  of  His  testi¬ 
mony  itself.  In  the  meantime  it  is  well  to  note 
what  conclusions  have  been  reached  by  wise  men, 
as  the  result  of  their  experience  in  human  affairs, 


1  John  v.  31.  See  p.  2. 
(16) 


WORTH  OF  JESUS'  TESTIMONY. 


1/ 


on  the  worth  of  testimony  given  by  a  man  in  his 
own  case.  Will  these  conclusions  strengthen,  or  will 
they  overthrow  the  result  to  which  we  have  arrived 
in  regard  to  the  testimony  of  Jesus  in  His  own  be¬ 
half? 

It  was  a  received  principle  of  the  Common  Law  that 
a  criminal,  brought  for  trial  before  a  court  of  justice, 
could  give  no  testimony — must  not  open  his  mouth  in 
his  own  defense.  Yet  even  then  this  very  rule  was 
virtually  disregarded  and  set  aside  by  the  invariable  re¬ 
quirement,  that  before  an  actual  trial  upon  a  charge 
of  crime  should  begin,  the  one  charged  should  answer 
the  question,  Are  you  guilty  or  not  guilty  ?  If  he 
said,  Guilty,  this  answer  WAS  TAKEN  INSTEAD  OF  A 
TRIAL  AND  CONVICTION  ;  and  the  criminal  was  dealt 
with  according  to  law  as  guilty  of  the  crime.  Cer¬ 
tainly  no  evidence  could  be  granted  higher  authority 
than  this.  And,  again,  not  until  the  criminal  had 
said,  Not  guilty,  could  further  evidence  and  pleadings 
be  presented.  His  testimony — for  what  else  was  it  ? 
— opened  the  door,  till  then  shut,  to  the  farther  steps 
in  the  trial ;  it  was  given  the  precedence.  Of  late,  in 
our  country,  in  some  at  least  of  our  States,  a 
criminal  is  allowed  to  give,  under  oath,  his  account 
of  the  facts.  The  worth  of  his  testimony  is  judged 
of  by  the  received  criteria  of  all  testimony — the 
character  of  the  individual  and  the  consistency  of  his 
testimony  with  itself,  with  that  of  others,  and  with 
facts  and  circumstances. 

Let  now  the  testimony  of  Jesus  in  regard  to  Him¬ 
self  be  judged  of  by  the  same  criteria.  No  more  is 


1 8  CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 

asked  for  Him  than  is  allowed  in  courts  of  justice  to 
the  robber  and  the  murderer.  The  investigation  is 
invited.  It  makes  necessary  the  study  of  His  testi¬ 
mony.  His  own  position  in  regard  to  its  worth 
appears  in  the  fact  that  He  counts  Himself  ONE  OF 
THE  TWO  witnesses  necessary,  according  to  the  Jewish 
law,  for  the  substantiation  of  a  fact.  It  is  also  written 
in  your  law  that  the  testimony  of  two  men  is  true.  I 
am  one  that  bear  witness  of  myself,  and  the  Father  that 
sent  me  beareth  witness  of  me}  As  a  reason  why  His 
testimony  should  be  held  valid  He  cites  His  compe¬ 
tency  on  the  score  of  knowledge.  He  was  saying 
once,  I  am  the  Light  of  the  world :  he  that  fol¬ 
low  eth  me  shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have 
the  light  of  life.  The  Pharisees,  therefore,  said  unto 
Him,  Thou  bearest  record  of  thyself:  thy  record  is 
not  true.  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Though 
I  bear  record  of  myself  my  record  is  true  :  for  I  know 
wlmice  I  came  and  whither  I  go}  Knowledge  and 
Truthfulness  when  united  make  a  trustworthy  wit¬ 
ness.  The  first  is  here  asserted  by  Jesus  of  Himself. 
Again,  He  says :  We  speak  that  we  do  know,  and 
testify  that  we  have  seen,  and  ye  (unreasonably,  there¬ 
fore)  receive  not  our  witness.  And  no  man  hath 

1  John  viii.  17,  18. 

2 John  viii.  12,  13,  14.  “Thou  bearest  testimony  of  thyself.” 
In  the  Greek,  Si)  tteqI  aeavrov  [io.qtvqeIs.  Just  so,  and  in  the  same 
way  of  derogation  and  objection,  Euripides,  in  his  Ion,  line  532, 
makes  Xuthus  say  to  Ion,  Maprvpe'f  gcivtCj  ;  upon  which  Ion  ap¬ 
peals  for  confirmation  of  what  he  had  said  to  the  oracle  of  the 
god. 


WORTH  OF  JESUS'  TESTIMONY . 


*9 


ascended  up  to  heaven,  but  he  that  came  down  from 
heaven,  even  the  Son  of  man  which  is  in  heaven}  Jesus 
said  this  to  show  His  competency  as  a  witness  on  the 
score  of  presence  at  the  place  and  acquaintance  with 
the  facts.  When  He  appeared  to  John  in  Patmos  and 
dictated  the  letters  to  the  seven  churches  of  Asia  Pie 
instructed  His  disciple  to  write  :  These  things  saith  the 
Amen,  the  Faithful  and  True  Wit  ness  A  Here  he 
claims  the  other  element  of  a  good  witness,  TRUTH. 
Again  He  said  :  I  am  the  Way  and  the  Truth  and  the 
LifeA  And  again,  to  Pilate,  just  before  He  was 
given  up  to  be  crucified  :  To  this  end  was  I  born,  and 
for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I  might  bear 
witness  unto  the  truth  A  He  claimed  not  only  that 
He  taught  the  truth,  but  that  He  IS  HlMSELF  THE 
TRUTH.  This  is  another  of  those  words  of  Christ, 
which,  spoken  in  situations  of  outward  humiliation 
and  danger,  reveal  the  serenest  consciousness  of  su¬ 
preme  dignity  and  power. 

12.  CONCLUSION  AS  TO  THE  WORTH  OF  JESUS’  TESTI¬ 
MONY  TO  HIMSELF. 

With  such  strong  assurance  of  His  truth  and  trust¬ 
worthiness,  it  was,  that  Jesus  spoke  :  and  His  mode 
of  speaking  accorded  with  this  assurance.  He  re- 

1  John  iii.  1 1,  13. 

2  Rev.  iii.  14.  “  Amen  ”  is  a  Hebrew  word,  signifying  true , 

certain,  faithful,  worthy  of  credence  ;  and  as  a  noun,  Truth .  Isa. 
I  xv.  16,  God  of  Truth. 

3  John  xiv.  6. 


4  John  xviii.  37. 


20 


CHRIST  IIIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


garded  His  own  assertion,  with  reference  to  anything 
whatever,  as  sufficient  authority  for  the  faith  of  men. 
He  “taught  as  one  having  authority.”  He  often 
began  with  a  phrase  peculiar  to  Himself  which  im¬ 
plies  the  unquestionable  truth  of  the  assertion,  Verily 
(or  Verily ,  verily ,)  I  say  unto  you.  This  occurs  about 
sixty  times  in  the  recorded  words  of  Jesus.  He  often 
used  also  the  form  “  I  say,”  which  is  the  same  in 
purport. 1  And  again  :  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass 
away ,  but  my  word  shall  ?iot  pass  away. 2 

Speaking  with  such  truth  and  authority,  Jesus  is 
not  only  a  competent  witness  in  His  own  behalf,  but 
He  dghtly  demands  a  hearing.  Men,  ignorant  and 
erring  as  they  are,  and  especially  so  in  reference  to 
Divine  and  spiritual  things,  may  well  hear  and  be¬ 
lieve  too,  when  the  Truth  itself  speaks.  We  shall 
certainly  choose  the  good  part  if,  like  the  humble  and 
earnest  Mary,  rejoicing  to  have  found  an  infallible 
guide,  we  take  our  place  at  Jesus’  feet  and  hear  His 
word. 

We  turn,  then,  to  the  direct  object  of  our  inquiries  : 
Jesus’  declarations  in  regard  to  Himself. 

^ee  Matt.  vi.  5,  16,  29  ;  John  v.  19,  24,  25  ;  Matt.  xix.  23  and 
vi.  29,  etc. 

2  Matt.  xxiv.  35  ;  Mark  xiii.  31  ;  Luke  xxi.  33. 


CHAPTER  III. 


JESUS’  EXISTENCE  BEFORE  HIS  EARTHLY  LIFE 

13.  WHERE  JESUS  WAS,  AND  WHENCE  HE  CAME 

INTO  THIS  WORLD. 

Jesus  constantly  taught  that  He  had  an  existence 
before  His  earthly  life.  For  instance,  in  that  prayer 
made  in  the  upper  mom  where  He  observed  the  last 
passover  and  the  first  Lord’s  Supper,  He  said:  And 
now ,  O  Father ,  glorify  thou  me  with  thine  ozvn  self, 
with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee  before  the  zvorld 
was. 1  And  again :  For  thou  lovedst  me  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world f  We  quote  these  words  now 
only  because  they  are  an  assertion  by  Jesus  of  His 
pre-existence  before  His  life  in  this  world.  Here,  as 
everywhere  else,  though  speaking  on  the  profoundest 
subjects,  He  talks  simply  and  naturally,  in  language 
untrammelled  by  metaphysics,  and  yet  with  essential 
philosophic  truth.  He  declares  that  He  was  before 
the  world,  with  the  Father.  And  what  He  says  of 
Himself  implies  His  having  the  consciousness  and 
powers  of  an  intelligent  being.  Doubtless  His  hu¬ 
manity  was  not  there ;  but  that  was  there  which  in 


'John  xvii.  5. 


2  John  xvii.  24.  See  §41 ,  p.  93. 
(21) 


22 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


the  consciousness  of  Jesus  constituted  the  identity  of 
His  being. 

Jesus  said  to  the  Jews  hostile  to  Him:  Ye  are  of 
this  world :  I  am  not  of  this  world. 1  These  words 
are  negative,  those  before  them  are  positive :  Ye  are 
from  beneath  :  I  am  from  above. 2  This  last  phrase  is 
a  familiar,  though  in  itself  indefinite,  expression  for 
Heaven.  More  definitely  He  says  :  I  am  the  living 
bread  which  came  down  from  heaven. 3  This  is  that 
bread  which  came  down  from  heaven. 4  No  man  hath 
ascended  up  into  heaven  but  he  that  came  down  from 
heaven ,  even  the  Son  of  man  which  is  in  heaven. 5  More 
specifically  still :  I  know  him  (i.  e.,  God)  for  lam  from 
him.*  6  For  the  Father  himself  loveth  you  because  ye 
have  loved  me ,  ajid  have  believed  that  I  came  out  from 
God.  I  came  forth  from  the  Father ,  and  am  come  into 
the  world :  Again  I  leave  the  world  and  go  to  the 
Father. 7  I  proceeded  forth  and  came  from  God. 8 
What  and  if  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  ascend  up 
where  he  zvas  before  ? 9 

The  sum  of  these  statements  as  to  Where  He  was 
in  His  Pre-existent  state  and  Whence  He  came  into 
this  world,  is  that  He  came  from  heaven,  from  God 
the  Father:  He  was  there  conscious  and  intelligent 
so  as  to  know  what  is  there,  so  present  with  God  as 
to  know  God  :  And  He  came  to  this  world  knowing 
whence  He  came,  and  bringing  with  Him  the  full 


1  John  viii.  23.  2  Ibid.  3  John  vi.  51. 

4  John  vi.  58.  3  J°hn  iii.  13.  6  John  vii.  29. 

7  John  xvi.  27,  28.  8  John  viii.  42.  eJ°hnvi.  62. 


HIS  PRE-EXISTENCE. 


2.3 

consciousness  of  identity,  and  all  His  knowledge  of 
Himself,  of  heaven,  and  of  God. 1 

1  Two  Greek  prepositions  are  used  with  the  verb  of  motion  in 
the  expressions  above  cited,  pointing  back  to  the  place,  or  ob¬ 
ject  of  departure.  The  one  is  (ek)  from,  out  of,  properly,  from 
a  position  i?i  something  (Hadley’s  Greek  Gram.)  This  is  used  in 
John  viii.  23,  “  I  am  not  (e/c)  of  this  world  ;  ”  and  in  Ch.  vi.  51,  58, 
“which  came  down  (e/c)  from  heaven.”  So  too,  in  Ch.  iii,  13. 
The  other  preposition  is  rcagd,  alongside  of,  by,  near,  and  when  with 
the  Genitive  (as  her €),from  beside,  from.  (Hadley).  This  last 
word  is  appropriately  used  of  the  departure  of  a  son  from  the 
presence  or  house  of  his  father.  Jesus  uses  this  in  John  vii.  29, 
“  I  am  (yaga)  from  him.”  With  this  may  be  compared  the  con¬ 
trary  word  ngog  in  Ch.  xvi.  28,  “  I  go  (71 -gog)  to  the  Father  ;  ”  also 
in  Ch.  xiii.  3,  “he  went  (ngog)  to  God.”  See  also  John  i.  1. 
Tlagd  is  used  in  Ch.  xvi.  27,  28,  but  after  a  verb  (egf/Mov)  com¬ 
pounded  with  etc.  too  Qeov  £%rfk 6ov,  I  came  out  from  God,  (in  v. 
28  from  the  Father).  Just  so  in  Ch.  xvii.  8,  They  have  known  surely 
that  I  came  out  from  thee.  But  in  Ch.  viii.  42  Jesus  uses  the 
preposition  ek  in  connection  with  the  same  compound  verb  : 
Eyw  yag  ek  tov  Qeov  k^rpEov  kcu  fjno.  This  certainly  signifies  de¬ 
parture  from  a  state  of  intimate  society  with  God,  which  we 
may  illustrate  by  a  reference  to  John  i.  18,  “  The  only  begotten 
Son  which  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father.”  That  Jesus  means  by 
any  of  this  phraseology  to  refer  to  and  describe  his  original  essen¬ 
tial  relation  to  the  Father  is  doubtful.  That  essential  relation 
He  did  not  leave.  Wherever  He  speaks  of  Himself  as  the  Son 
“proceeding  from  the  Father,”  He  means  simply  His  coming 
into  the  world  on  His  errand  of  grace  as  Messiah.  So  when  He 
speaks  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  saying  (John  xv.  26),  iragu  tov  Trargog 
ek-oqevetcu,  “which  proceedeth  from  the  Father,”  He  is  not  de¬ 
scribing  the  original  and  essential  relation  of  the  Spirit  to  the 
Father:  His  words  refer  in  all  these  passages  only  indirectly,  if 
at  all,  to  the  insoluble  mysteries  of  the  Trinity,  but  directly  and 
plainly  to  the  coming  down  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Spirit  to  the 
world  for  the  salvation  of  men. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


JESUS’  COMING  INTO  THE  WORLD. 

14.  WHY  JESUS  CAME  INTO  THIS  WORLD. 

The  language  of  Jesus  when  He  spoke  of  the  de¬ 
sign  of  His  coming  into  the  world,  was  modified  in 
each  case  by  the  occasion  and  circumstances  which 
called  it  forth.  He  spoke  popularly  and  did  not  al¬ 
ways  tell  the  whole  of  His  great  Design  ;  it  may  be 
only  a  part  and  that  a  subordinate  part  of  it  which 
He  had  occasion  to  mention.  But  there  is  no  diffi¬ 
culty  in  understanding  Him.  A  comparison  of  all 
His  sayings  on  this  point  with  one  another,  and  with 
other  Scriptures,  and  a  use  of  the  light  to  be  obtain¬ 
ed  from  His  general  manner  of  teaching  and  speak¬ 
ing,  will  make  all  plain. 

15.  THOSE  SAYINGS  WHICH  DECLARE  DIRECTLY  THE 
GREAT  OBJECT  OF  JESUS’  COMING. 

When  James  and  John  asked  liberty  to  call  down 
fire  from  heaven  upon  the  people  of  a  Samaritan  vil¬ 
lage  who  refused  to  entertain  Him,  Jesus  refused, 
saying  :  For  the  Son  of  man  is  not  come  to  destroy  men  s 
lives,  but  to  save  them.  1  Jesus  did  save  men’s  bodily 
lives  by  feeding  them,  healing  their  diseases,  and 


1  Luke  ix.  56. 

(24) 


OBJECT  OF  HIS  COMING. 


25 


raising  the  dead.  But  the  affirmative  part  of  this 
answer  has  probably  a  wider  application  than  to  the 
life  of  the  body.  It  is  entirely  in  the  Saviour’s  man¬ 
ner  to  include  a  higher  meaning  with  the  lower.  He 
told  Peter  :  If  I  wash  thee  not ,  thou  hast  no  part  with 
me  ....  and  ye  are  clean ,  fait  not  all.  “  For,”  says 
John,  “  he  knew  who  should  betray  him;  therefore 
said  he,  Ye  are  not  all  clean.”1  So  to  His  disci¬ 
ples  when  once  they  urged  Him  to  take  food :  I  have 
meat  to  eat  which  ye  know  not  of.  .  .  .  My  meat  is  to 
do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  his  work. 2 
The  higher  sense  of  the  word  “  Life  ”  appears  in  the 
words  next  quoted  :  I  am  come  that  they  might  have 
life ,  and  that  they  might  have  it  more  abundantly. 3 
Again  :  I  came  not  to  judge  the  world ,  but  to  save  the 
world. 4  For  the  Son  of  man  is  come  to  save  that 
which  was  lost : 5  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was 
lost. 6  For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his 
only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.  For  God 
sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world ; 
but  that  the  world  through  him  might  be  saved. 7 

This,  then,  is  Jesus’  great  object  in  coming  into  the 
world,  viz. :  the  salvation  of  men.  In  the  same  form 
of  language  (i.  e.,  the  form  expressive  of  Design),  He 
speaks  also  of  the  MEANS  by  which  He  accomplishes 
this  end.  These  means  are  partly  His  Work  and  Suf- 


1  John  xiii.  8-1 1. 

‘John  xii.  47. 


John  iv.  32,  34. 

6  Mat.  xviii.  1 1. 

7  John  iii.  16,  17. 


3  John  x.  10. 

6  Luke  xix.  10. 


2  6 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS . 


ferings  in  the  world,  and  especially  His  Death,  and 
partly  the  Human  Agencies  which  He  inaugurated 
for  this  purpose. 

l6.  JESUS  CAME  TO  DIE,  AND  THEREBY  TO  SAVE  MEN 

ALIVE. 

The  hour  is  come  that  the  Son  of  man  should  be 
glorified.  Verily ,  verily,  I  say  unto  you ,  Except  a  corn 
of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die ,  it  abide th  alone  : 
but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit}  Jesus  says 
this  making  silently  a  comparison  with  Himself : 
So  I,  too,  must  die,  like  the  grain  of  corn  ;  but 
my  death  will  be  the  means  of  life  to  many.  He 
goes  on  :  Now  is  my  sold  troubled  (7.  e.,  in  view  of 
death),  but  what  shall  I  say  ?  Father ,  save  me  from 
this  hour.  But  for  this  cause  came  I  unto  this  hour. 1 
Again,  Even  as  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered 
unto ,  but  to  minister  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for 
many}  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy  the  law 
or  the  prophets :  I  am  not  come  to  destroy ,  but  to  fid  fill? 

Jesus  fulfilled  the  Law  by  obeying  it  perfectly  ;  by 
being  the  great  Antitype  in  which  all  its  ceremonies 
and  sacrifices  found  their  significance  and  their  fulfill¬ 
ment  ;  by  giving  His  Spirit  to  those  who  believe  in 
Him,  enabling  them  to  obey  it  in  spirit ;  and  lastly, 
and  chiefly,  by  meeting  and  satisfying  in  His  death 
ail  its  demands  upon  penitent  and  believing  souls. 

1 7.  JESUS  CAME  TO  TEACH  MEN. 

Another  part  of  the  personal  work  of  Jesus  in  sav- 


1  John  xii.  23-28. 


2  Mat.  xx.  28. 


3  Mat.  v.  17. 


OBJECT  OF  HIS  COMING. 


2/ 


ing  men  was  that  of  TEACHING.  To  this  end  was  I 
born ,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I 
should  bear  witness  unto  the  truth.  Every  one  that  is  of 
the  truth  hear eth  my  voiced  Jesus  teaches  the  Way 
of  Life.  I  am  come  a  Light  into  the  world ,  that  whoso¬ 
ever  bclieveth  on  me  should  not  abide  in  darkness. 2  Let 
us  go  into  the  next  towns  that  I  may  preach  there  also, 
for  therefore  came  L  forth. 3  I  must  preach  the  king¬ 
dom  of  God  to  other  cities  also ;  for  therefore  am  1 
sent. 4  L  am  not  come  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners 
to  repentance. 5 

Finally,  in  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth,  Jesus  read 
to  the  assembled  people  a  prophecy  of  Isaiah :  The 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me  because  he  hath  anointed 
me  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor  /  he  hath  sent  me  to 
heal  the  broken-hearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the 
captives ,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach 
the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord.  Then  closing  the 
book,  He  said  :  This  day  is  this  Scripture  fulfilled  in 
your  ears. 6 

These  words  teach  both  comprehensively  and  also 
in  great  detail,  the  work  which  Jesus  came  to  do  in 
the  world. 

l8.  JESUS  CAME  ALSO  TO  INSTITUTE  AND  EMPLOY 

TO  THE  SAME  END  OF  MEN’S  SALVATION,  HUMAN 

INSTRUMENTALITIES,  HIS  FOLLOWERS  AND  MIN¬ 
ISTERS. 

He  says  of  His  disciples :  As  thou  hast  sent  me  into 

1  John  xviii.  37.  2  John  xii.  46.  3  Mark  i.  38. 

4  Luke  iv.  43.  6  Mat.  ix.  13  ;  Mark  ii.  17. 

6  Luke  iv.  18-21  ;  Isa.  lxi.  1--3. 


28 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS . 


the  world,  even  so  have  I  sent  them  into  the  world. 
And  for  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myself,  that  they  also 
might  be  sanctified  through  the  truth}  That  is,  I  con¬ 
secrate  myself  to  this  work  that  they  also  may  be 
consecrated,  fitted,  and  set  apart  to  carry  it  on. 

19.  INCIDENTAL  CONSEQUENCES  OF  JESUS’  COMING. 

Jesus  mentions  also,  as  a  part  of  the  design  of  His 
coming,  what  are  only  INCIDENTAL  and  yet  CERTAIN 
effects  of  it.  I  am  come  to  send  fire  on  the  earth} 
Think  not  that  lam  come  to  send  peace  on  the  earth  : 
I  am  not  come  to  send  peace,  but  a  sivord.  For  I  am 
come  to  set  a  man  at  variance  against  his  father ,  and 
the  daughter  against  her  mother,  and  the  daughter-in- 
law  against  her  mother-in-law. 3  Jesus  is  the  “  Prince 
of  Peace,”  and  a  direct  and  designed  effect  of  His 
coming  is  “  Peace  on  earth.”  “  Of  the  increase  of 
his  government  and  peace  there  shall  be  no  end.” 
Nevertheless,  His  coming,  the  preaching  of  His  Gos¬ 
pel  and  the  establishment  and  spread  of  His  Church, 
have  occasioned,  through  men’s  depravity,  great  en¬ 
mities,  divisions,  strifes  and  bloodshed. 

In  the  same  way  that  is  true  which  Jesus  says :  For 
judgment  I  am  come  into  this  world,  that  they  which  see 
not  might  see,  and  that  they  which  see  might  be  made 
blind}  He  does  not  here  contradict  that  other  word  :  I 
came  not  to  judge  the  world,  but  to  save  the  world ; 5 
.and  that  other  :  For  God  sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world 
to  condemn  the  world }  The  judgment  or  condemnation 

1  John  xvii.  18,  19.  2  Luke  xii.  49-53.  3  Mat.  x.  34,  35. 

4  John  ix.  39.  6  John  xii.  47.  6  J °hn  iii.  1 7. 


CONSEQUENCES  OF  HIS  COMING. 


29 


of  men  occasioned  by  Jesus  and  His  Gospel,  is  the 
result  of  men’s  hatred  and  rejection  of  the  Gospel. 
So  He  says :  This  is  the  condemnation  that  light  is 
come  into  the  world ,  and  men  loved  darkness  rather  than 
light  because  their  deeds  were  evil. 1 

The  words  of  Jesus  which  we  have  studied  in  this 
chapter  teach  us  the  Design  of  His  Coming  into  the 
world  as  understood,  declared  and  undertaken  by 
Himself.  They  may  be  said  to  contain  THE  PRO¬ 
GRAMME  of  His  Earthly  Life-work,  sketched  by 
His  own  hand.  His  Life-Plan,  as  He  reveals  it  in 
these  words,  breathes  a  sweetness  of  good-will,  love 
and  mercy  only  excelled  by  its  wonderful  fulfillment. 
It  was  the  Ideal  which  was  before  Him  when  He 
said :  I  must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me  while 
it  is  day. 2  Under  what  pressure  of  spirit  He  carried 
it  out  appears  in  His  words  :  I  have  a  baptism  to  be  bap¬ 
tized  with ,  and  how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be  accom - 
plishedd  And  how  at  the  last  He  compared  Plan 
and  Life,  with  a  serene  consciousness  of  their  perfect 
harmony,  appears  in  those  words  of  His  prayer,  the 
last  night  of  His  life :  I  have  finished  the  work  which 
thou  gavest  me  to  do.*  4 


1  John  iii.  19. 

3  Luke  xii.  50. 


2  John  ix.  4. 

4  John  xvii.  4. 


CHAPTER  V. 


JESUS  THE  MESSIAH. 

20.  JESUS  CLAIMED  THAT  HE  WAS  THE  MESSIAH. 

Jesus  declared  plainly  and  repeatedly  that  He  was 
the  Messiah,  the  long-desired  and  looked-for  by  the 
chosen  people.  He  was  indeed  careful,  especially  at 
first,  not  to  let  the  knowledge  of  this  fact  be  spread 
among  the  people.  For,  not  only  were  they  in  eager 
expectation  of  the  Messiah,  but  their  expectations 
were  in  great  degree  of  a  secular  character,  and  so 
would  lead  them  to  measures  injurious  both  to 
themselves  and  to  His  cause.  Discreetly,  then,  and 
yet  plainly,  He  taught  the  truth  of  His  Messiaship. 
This  was  a  truth  well  understood  by  every  disciple. 
Andrew  having  found  it  out,  told  his  brother  Simon  ; 
“We  have  found  the  Messias  (which  is,  being  inter¬ 
preted,  the  Christ).”1  Philip  also  told  Nathaniel: 
“  We  have  found  him  of  whom  Moses  in  the  law  and 
the  prophets  did  write,  Jesus  of  Nazareth  the  son  of 
Joseph  :  ”2  and  Nathaniel  when  convinced  said  to  Je¬ 
sus  :  “  Rabbi,  thou  art  the  Son  of  God  :  thou  art  the 
King  of  Israel.”3  Jesus  admitted  this  confession  of 
Nathaniel:  Becattse  I  said  I  saw  thee  under  the  jig- - 


3  John  i.  41. 

(. 30 ) 


2  John  i.  45. 


3  John  i.  49. 


CLAIMS  TO  BE  MESSIAH. 


31 


tree  believest  thou  ?  (that  is,  that  I  am  the  Messiah) 
Thou  shalt  see  greater  things  than  these }  When  Jesus 
asked  the  disciples  :  Whom  say  ye  that  I  am  ?  and 
Peter  answered  :  “  Thou  art  the  Christ  (Messiah),  the 
Son  of  the  Living  God  ;  ”  Jesus  sanctioned  this  dec¬ 
laration,  saying :  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Barjona ; 
for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but 
my  Father  which  is  in  heaven  J2  Jesus  here  declares 
that  the  truth  that  He  was  the  Messiah  WAS  NOT  OF 
HUMAN  DISCOVERY,  BUT  WAS  A  REVELATION  FROM 
THE  Father,  which  made  him  blessed  who  truly 
learned  it.  A  most  solemn  and  strong  assertion.  To 
the  woman  of  Samaria,  who,  struck  with  Jesus’  doc¬ 
trine  about  the  kind  of  worship  acceptable  to  God, 
said:  “I  know  that  Messias  cometh,  and  when  he  is 
come  he  will  tell  us  all  things,”  Jesus  answered:  / 
that  speak  unto  thee  am  he?  To  the  man  born  blind, 
now  cured,  whom  Jesus  asked:  Dost  thou  believe  on 
the  Son  of  God?  and  who  earnestly  asked  :  “Who  is 
he,  Lord,  that  I  might  believe. on  him?”  Jesus  an¬ 
swered  :  Thou  hast  both  seen  him  and  it  is  he  that 

talketh  with  thee?  Jesus  here  ASSERTS  DIRECTLY 

• 

that  He  is  the  Son  of  God,  declaring  thereby  that  He 
was  the  Messiah.  To  the  messengers  of  John  who 
came  from  their  master  with  the  question :  “  Art 
thou  he  that  should  come,  or  do  we  look  for  an¬ 
other?  ”  Jesus,  having  cured  many  before  their  eyes, 
answered,  saying :  Go  and  shew  John  again  those 
things  which  ye  do  hear  and  see :  The  blind  receive 

2  Mat.  xvi.  15-17. 

4  John  ix.  35-38. 


1  John  i.  50. 

8  John  iv.  26. 


32 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


their  sight  and  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed  and 
the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised  up,  and  the  poor  have 
the  Gospel  preached  unto  them }  Jesus  answered  their 
question  affirmatively  by  referring  to  His  miracles  as 
proof.  To  His  disciples  receiving  eagerly  and  intel¬ 
ligently  His  instructions,  He  said  :  Blessed  are  your 
eyes,  for  they  see ;  and  your  ears,  for  they  hear.  For 
verily  I  say  unto  you  that  many  prophets  and  righteous 
men  have  desired  to  see  those  things  zvhich  ye  see,  and 
have  not  seen  them,  and  to  hear  those  things  which  ye 
hear,  and  have  not  heard  them}  They  were  blessed 
because  He  was  the  Messiah,  and  they  saw  Him  and 
His  miracles,  and  heard  His  teachings,  and  were  to  wit¬ 
ness  and  share  in  the  coming  of  His  kingdom.  To  the 
unbelieving  Jews  He  said  :  Your  father  Abraham  re¬ 
joiced  to  see  my  day  and  he  sazv  it  and  was  glad ? 
The  father  of  the  faithful  understood  somewhat  the 
import  of  the  promise  made  to  him  of  “  a  seed  in 
whom  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed.” 
Jesus  here  virtually  says  that  that  seed  was  Himself. 
“  Abraham  foresaw  my  day.”  Again,  when  a  party 
of  unbelieving  Jews  asked  Him:  “  How  long  dost 
thou  make  us  to  doubt?  If  thou  be  the  Christ,  tell 
us  plainly,”  Jesus  answered  them:  I  told  you,  and  ye 
believed  not,  and  then  referred  them  to  His  miracles 
in  proof.4  To  some  of  the  same  class  he  said  :  If  ye 
believe  not  that  I  am  he,  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins . 


1  Matt.  xi.  3-5  ;  Luke  vii.  19-22. 

51  Matt.  xiii.  16,  17  ;  Luke  x.  23,  24  see  1  Peter  i.  11,  12. 
3  John  viii.  56.  4  John  x.  25. 


CLAIMS  TO  BE  MESSIAH . 


33 


They  then  asked  him  :  “  Who  art  thou  ?  ”  and  Jesus 
said  unto  them:  Even  the  same  that  I  said  unto  you 
from  the  beginning}  Again  :  When  ye  have  lifted  up 
the  Son  of  man  then  shall  ye  know  that  I  am  he}  To 
His  disciples:  Many  shall  come  in  my  name  saying,  I 
am  Christ :  that  is,  falsely  claiming  the  name  and 
office  which  belong  to  me.3 

When  on  His  last  trial  before  the  Jewish  council, 
the  high-priest  said  :  “  I  adjure  thee  by  the  living 
God,  that  thou  tell  us  whether  thou  be  the  Christ  the 
Son  of  God  ;  ”  Jesus  answered  :  Thou  hast  said :  nev¬ 
ertheless  I  say  unto  you ,  Hereafter  shall  ye  see  the  Son 
of  man  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  power  and  coming 
in  the  clouds  of  heaven  /4  Mark’s  account  is  similar: 
“  Again  the  high -priest  asked  Him,  Art  thou  the 
Christ  the  Son  of  the  Blessed?”  And  Jesus  said:  I 
am  :  and  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  sitting  on  the 
right  hand  of  Power  and  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven} 
This  important  testimony  is  recorded  also  by  Luke : 
Hereafter  shall  the  Son  of  man  sit  on  the  right 
hand  of  the  power  of  God.  “  Then  said  they  all :  Art 
thou  then  the  Son  of  God?”  And  He  said  unto 
them  :  Ye  say  that  I  am} 


1  John  viii.  25.  2  John  viii.  28  ;  see  §  5,  p.  8,  Note. 

3  Luke  xxi.  8.  4  Matt.  xxvi.  64.  5  Mark  xiv.  62,  63. 

6  Luke  xxii.  69,  70.  The  words  in  Matthew  :  “  Thou  hast  said,” 
and  those  in  Luke  :  “  Ye  say  that  I  am,”  are  evidently  equivalent 
to  those  in  Mark  :  “  I  am.”  So  in  the  words  of  Jesus,  next  quot¬ 
ed,  in  answer  to  Pilate’s  question :  Art  thou  the  king  of  the  Jews  ? 

Jesus  certainly  answered  the  governor  categorically.  Yet  all  the 
2* 


34 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


Jesus  made  this  declaration,  as  we  see,  UNDER  OATH, 
before  the  highest  civil  and  ecclesiastical  tribunal  of 
the  Jews,  and  before  the  high-priest,  the  highest  func¬ 
tionary  of  the  Old  Testament  Church.  It  was  the 
proper  place  and  presence  for  Him  to  make  His  offi¬ 
cial  declaration  that  He  was  the  Messiah  who  was  to 
come.  This  was  that  declaration.  By  it  He  notified 
the  functionaries  of  the  Old  Dispensation  that  their 
offices  had  ceased  with  the  validity  of  their  services : 
and  that  henceforth,  He  was  the  center  of  all  author¬ 
ity  in  the  Church  on  earth.  It  was  their  duty,  then, 
publicly  and  officially  to  recognize  Him  as  Messiah, 
and  to  lay  their  authority  at  His  feet.  Jesus  well  knew 
that  they  would  not  do  this :  that  He  made  this  dec¬ 
laration  at  the  cost  of  His  life.  But,  as  at  His  bap¬ 
tism,  “  thus  it  became  Him  to  fulfill  all  righteousness,” 
and  He  accordingly  made  it  categorically  and  unhesi¬ 
tatingly.  It  was  a  sublime  moment  in  the  history  of 
the  Messiah. 

Jesus  “  witnessed  also  a  good  confession  before 
Pontius  Pilate.”  The  Roman  governor  asked  Him : 
Art  thou  the  king  of  the  Jews?  Jesus  said  unto  him 
Thou  sayest.* 1  So  Jesus  assumed  the  Messiahship  pub¬ 
licly  and  officially  also  before  the  highest  civil  au¬ 
thority  of  the  country.  But  He  carefully  explained 
its  nature  to  the  governor,  as  not  of  a  secular  character. 

evangelists  give  His  answer,  Thou  sayest.  That  is  :  “  Thou  af- 
firmest  the  truth.”  Simliar  forms  of  affirmation  occur  in  classic 
Greek,  e.g.,  eyvuc,  You  know,  i.  e.,  You  are  right.  Euripides, 
Andromache,  883,  920. 

1  Matt,  xxvii.  1 1  ;  Mark  xv.  2  ;  Luke  xxiii.  3  ;  see  last  Note. 


CLAIMS  70  BE  MESSIAH. 


35 


21.  JESUS  APPLIES  SCRIPTURES  OF  THE  OLD  TESTA¬ 
MENT  CONCERNING  THE  MESSIAH  TO  HIMSELF. 

John  in  Patmos  wrote  down  words  of  Jesus:  /, 
Jesus ,  have  sent  mine  angel  to  testify  these  things  in 
the  churches.  I  am  the  Root  and  Offspring  of  David 
and  the  Bright  and  Morning  Star.  It  is  a  declaration 
of  His  Messiahship,  expressed  in  terms  of  predictions 
of  the  Old  Testament. 1 

The  doctrine  and  hope  of  the  Messiah  which  were 
cherished  by  the  Jews  were  drawn  from  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment.  The  Great  Promise  of  the  Messiah  was  made 
to  the  fathers  and  embodied  in  the  inspired  records. 
Jesus,  claiming  to  be  the  Messiah,  rightly  applied  to 
Himself  all  that  the  Old  Testament  contains  concern¬ 
ing  Him  who  was  to  come.  It  would  have  been  in¬ 
consistent  with  His  claims  and  pretensions  not  to  do 
so — to  do  so  was  in  perfect  keeping  with  them.  His 
reply  to  John’s  messengers  lately  quoted,2  in  which 
He  appeals, to  His  miracles  in  proof  of  His  Messiah- 
ship,  contains  also,  evidently,  a  tacit  appeal  to  well- 
known  prophecies  of  the  Messiah.  Isaiah  said  :  “  God 
will  come  with  vengeance,  even  God  with  a  recom¬ 
pense  ;  he  will  come  and  save  you.  Then  the  eyes 
of  the  blind  shall  be  opened,  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf 
shall  be  unstopped.  Then  shall  the  lame  man  leap 
as  an  hart,  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  sing.”3  Jesus 
in  describing  His  miracles  to  John’s  messengers, 
quotes  this  prophecy  almost  literally.  We  have  seer 


1  Rev.  xxii.  1 6  ;  Isa.  xi.  I  ;  Num.  xxiv.  17. 

3  Isaiah  xxxv.  4,  5,  6. 


2  See  last  section 


CHRIST  HIS  0 IV IV  WITNESS 


36 

also  how  in  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth,  He  read  the 
prophecy :  “  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me 
because  the  Lord  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  good 
tidings  unto  the  meek :  he  hath  sent  me  to  bind  up  the 
broken-hearted,  to  proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives, 
and  the  opening  of  the  prison  to  them  that  are 
bound  ;  to  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord.” 
Then  He  closed  the  book  and  gave  it  again  to  the 
minister,  and  sat  down.  And  the  eyes  of  all  in  the 
synagogue  were  fastened  on  Him.  And  He  began 
to  say  unto  them  :  This  day  is  this  Scripture  fulfilled 
in  your  ears. 1  He,  His  work,  and  His  preaching  were 
that  fulfillment.  Of  John  the  Baptist  He  said  :  This 
is  he  of  whom  it  is  written ,  Behold  I  send  my  mes¬ 
senger  before  thy  face ,  to  prepare  thy  way  before  thee.1  2 3 
John  came  the  forerunner  of  Jesus.  Jesus,  applying 
this  prophecy  to  John,  claims  to  be  the  one  addressed 
(or,  as  it  is  in  the  Old  Testament,  the  one  speaking)  in 
the  prophecy;  therefore  that  He  is  the  Messiah,  the 
Lord,  who  should  suddenly  come  to  His  Temple,  the 
Messenger  of  the  covenant  whom  they  sought  and 
delighted  in.  To  the  unbelieving  Jews  He  said  : 
Search  the  Scriptures ;  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have 
eternal  life  ;  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me. 
For  had  ye  believed  Moses  ye  would  have  believed  me,  for 
he  wrote  of  me. 4  To  His  disciples  :  Behold,  we  go  tip 

1  Luke  iv.  18-21  ;  Isa.  lxi.  1,  2. 

'Mat.  xi.  10;  Luke  vii.  27  ;  Mai.  iii.  1.  The  change  of  person 
from  the  first,  as  it  is  in  the  Hebrew,  to  the  second,  is  of  no  im¬ 
portance  in  this  argument. 

3  John  v.  39.  4  John  v.  46. 


CLAIMS  TO  BE  MESSIAH. 


37 


to  Jerusalem ,  and  all  things  that  are  written  by  the 
prophets  concerning  the  Son  of  man  shall  be  accomplished. 
For  he  shall  be  delivered  unto  the  Gentiles ,  and  shall 
be  mocked,  and  spit ef  idly  entreated,  and  spit  upon  ;  A  nd 
they  shall  scourge  him ,  and  put  him  to  death ,  and  the 
third  day  he  shall  rise  again. 1  Of  the  unbelieving 
Jews  He  says :  Now  have  they  both  seen  and  hated  both 
me  and  my  Father.  But  this  cometh  to  pass  that  the 
word  might  be  fulfilled  that  is  written  in  their  law  : 
They  hated  me  without  a  cause. 2  After  His  parable  of 
the  husbandmen  killing  the  heir,  by  which  He  signified 
His  own  murder  by  the  Jews,  He  said  :  Did  ye  never 
read  in  the  Scriptures,  The  Stone  which  the  builders  re¬ 
jected  the  same  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner  ? 3  Both 
parts  of  this  prediction,  He  implies,  were  to  be  ful¬ 
filled  in  Him.  At  the  Last  Supper  He  said  of  the 
traitor:  I  speak  not  of  you  all:  I  know  whom  I  have 
chosen :  but  that  the  Scripture  may  be  fulfilled,  He 
that  cateth  bread  with  me  hath  lifted  up  his  heel 
against  me  A  To  the  rest  He  said  at  the  same  time: 

1  Luke  xviii.  31-33;  Mat.  xx.  18,  19;  Mark  x.  33,  34.  That 
He  was  to  be  delivered  to  the  Gentiles,  is,  as  the  Apostles  affirm 
in  Acts  iv.  25-28,  predicted  in  Ps.  ii.  1,  2.  That  He  should  be 
mocked,  spitefully  entreated  and  spitted  on,  Ps.  xxii.  7,  8  ,  Ps. 
lxix.  7  (compare  Ps.  Ixix.  9  with  John  ii.  17),  also  Ps.  Ixix.  12,  21. 
That  He  should  be  spitted  on  and  scourged,  Isa.  1.  6.  That  He 
should  be  killed,  Dan.  ix.  26  ;  Isa.  liii.  8,  10.  Also  for  the  abuse 
and  sufferings  of  the  Messiah  in  general,  Psalms  xxii.  and  lxxi,  and 
Isa.  liii.  For  the  resurrection,  Ps.  xvi.  9,  10;  compare  Acts  ii. 
25,  26,  30,  31. 

2  John  xv.  24,  25. 1 2  3Mat.  xxi.  42  ;  Mark  xii.  10  ;  Luke  xx.  17. 

4  John  xiii.  18  ;  see  Ps.  xli.  9. 


38 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS . 


All  ye  shall  be  offended  because  of  me  this  night ;  for 
it  is  written ,  I  will  smite  the  Shepherd ,  and  the  sheep 
of  the  flock  shall  be  scattered  abroad. 1  Referring  to 
His  capture,  soon  to  take  place :  This  that  is  writ¬ 
ten  must  yet  be  accomplished  in  me,  A  nd  he  was  reck¬ 
oned  with  tlie  transgressors  :  for  the  things  concerning 
me  have  an  end  (i.  e.,  a  speedy  accomplishment). 2  To 
the  two  going  to  Emmaus  after  His  resurrection,  He 
said  :  O  fools  a7id  slow  of  heart  to  believe  all  that  the 
prophets  have  spoken.  Ought  not  Christ  to  have  suf¬ 
fered  these  things ,  and  to  enter  into  his  glory  ?  And 
beginning  at  Moses  and  all  the  prophets,  He  ex¬ 
pounded  unto  them  in  all  the  Scriptures  the  things 
concerning  Himself. 3  And  to  the  eleven  the  same 
night :  These  are  the  words  which  I  spake  unto  you 
while  I  was  yet  with  you ,  that  all  things  must  be  ful¬ 
filled  which  were  written  in  the  law  of  Moses  and  in 
the  Prophets  and  in  the  Psalms  concerning  me. 4  .  .  . 
Thus  it  is  written  and  thus  it  behooved  Christ  to  suffer , 
and  to  rise  from  the  dead  the  third  day. 5 

So  we  see  that  Jesus  applied  to  Himself  everything 
which  the  Old  Testament,  as  He  understood  it,  con¬ 
tained  respecting  the  Messiah.  Was  He  not  the  Mes¬ 
siah  ? 

Who  has  not  thought  wishfully  of  those  exposi¬ 
tions  of  the  Messianic  prophecies  made  by  Jesus 
Christ  himself,  heard  by  the  two,  and  by  the  eleven, 

1  Mat.  xxvi.  31  ;  Mark  xiv.  27  ;  Zech.  xiii.  7. 

2  Luke  xxii.  37  ;  Isa.  liii.  12.  8  Luke  xxiv.  25,  26,  27. 

4  Luke  xxiv.  44. 

6  Luke  xxiv.  46  ;  compare  Mat.  xii.  39,  40,  and  supra  §  6. 


CLAIMS  TO  BE  ME  SSI  AN. 


39 


and  by  many  others?  But  have  we  not  at  least 
some  of  them  ?  The  disciples  in  their  preaching  and 
arguments  afterward  would  be  likely  to  bring  for¬ 
ward  those  same  passages  which  Jesus  had  adduced, 
with  the  very  interpretations  of  their  Master.  We 
may  feel  sure,  therefore,  that  in  the  recorded  sermons 
of  Peter  and  Paul,  and  in  the  writings  of  these  and 
other  disciples  preserved  in  the  New  Testament,  we 
have  interpretations  of  Old  Testament  prophecies 
concerning  Christ,  which  they  learned  from  the  lips 
of  Jesus.  We  have  thus  some  of  JESUS’  OWN  EXPO¬ 
SITIONS  of  Messianic  prophecies  1 

Jesus  evidently  well  understood  His  Messianic 
mission  and  work  in  the  world,  and  it  was  ever  pres¬ 
ent  in  His  thought. 

Compare  Jesus,  Mat.  xxi.  42,  with  Paul,  Eph.  ii.  20  ;  1  Cor.  i/i. 
11,  and  Peter  1st  Ep.  ii.  6-8. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  HUMAN  NATURE  OF  JESUS. 

22.  JESUS  SPOKE  OF  HIMSELF  AS  A  MAN. 

The  Messiah,  coming  into  the  world  to  save  men, 
became  a  man.  As  a  human  being  He  was  born  of  a 
woman.  Jesus  referred  to  His  birth  but  seldom,  and 
that  only  incidentally ;  yet  He  recognized  it  just  as 
other  men  do  theirs.  He  said  to  Pilate :  To  this 
end  was  I  born,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the 
world  that  I  should  bear  witness  unto  the  truth. 1  His 
enemies  said:  “We  know  this  man  whence  he  is; 
but  when  Christ  cometh  no  man  knoweth  whence 
he  is.”  2  They  knew  the  town  where  Pie  lived,  the 
family  and  house  in  which  He  grew  up.  Jesus  ad¬ 
mitted  all  this  so  far  as  His  human  origin  was  con¬ 
cerned,  saying:  Ye  both  knoiv  me  and  ye  ktiow  whence 
I  am.  But  He  immediately  added,  referring  to  His 
higher  origin  and  mission:  I  am  tiot  come  of  myself, 
but  he  that  sent  me  is  true  whom  ye  know  not? 


^ohn  xviii.  37.  2  John  vii.  27. 

3  John  vii.  28.  At  another  time  (John  viii.  14)  Jesus  said  to 
the  Jews:  Ye  can  not  tell  whence  I  came  and  whither  I  go  ; 
speaking,  evidently,  of  His  origin  from  heaven,  of  which  they  did  not 
know.  Thus  He  asserts  that  that  is  true  of  Himself  which  they 
(40) 


THE  HUMAN  NATURE  OF  JESUS. 


41 


As  born  of  a  woman  Jesus  was  a  real  man.  He 
called  Himself  a  man,  saying  to  the  Jews:  Ye  seek  to 
kill  me,  a  man  that  hath  told  yon  the  truth. 1  He  spoke 
constantly  of  Himself  as  “the  Son  of  man.”  Whom 
do  men  say  that  1 ’  the  Son  of  man,  am  ?*  2 3 4  And  (the 
Father)  hath  given  him  authority  to  execute  judgment 
also,  because  he  is  the  Son  of  man. 3  In  the  Gospels 
we  find  Jesus  giving  Himself  this  appellation  about 
fifty  times,  while  no  one  else  ever  calls  Him  so  but 
Stephen,  once  (Acts  vii.  56).  This  fact  implies  some¬ 
thing  singular  about  the  name.  What  is  it  ? 

The  term  is  very  common  in  the  Hebrew,  especially 
the  later  Hebrew;  but  in  the  Chaldee  and  Syriac  it 
is  entirely  at  home.  In  ordinary  usage  it  denotes 
simply  A  MAN,  and  in  the  plural  MEN. 4  'When  ap- 

had  declared  must  be  true  of  the  Messiah  (Ch.  vii.  27),  “  When 
Christ  cometh  no  man  knoweth  whence  he  is.” 

1  John  viii.  40.  2  Mat.  xvi.  13  ;  Mark  viii.  27  ;  Luke  ix.  18. 

3  John  v.  27. 

4  See  Num.  xxiii.  19 ;  Job  xxv.  6;  Psalms  iv.  2  ;  Ezek.  ii.  1,  etc. 
Ezekiel  (who  lived  in  Chaldea  where  the  Chaldee  was  spoken)  is 
so  called  in  the  Bible  about  ninety  times.  In  the  Syriac  this  is 
the  usual  term  denoting  man.  It  may  be  said  to  have  no 
other.  In  the  Syriac  translation  of  the  New  Testament,  it  con¬ 
stantly  occurs.  Even  Adam  is  called  a  Bar-nosh,  “  Son  of  man,” 
(1  Cor.  xv.  45),  where,  taken  literally,  it  sounds  awkwardly  enough  : 
“The  first  son  of  man,  Adam,  was  made  a  living  soul.”  Evi¬ 
dently  the  idea  of  Son  has  been  lost  in  that  of  Man.  In  further 
proof  of  this  is  the  fact  mentioned  by  Michaelis  (in  his  Castelli 
Lexicon  Syriacum)  that  the  Syrian  Ecclesiastical  writers  made  a 
verb  out  of  this  term,  and  applied  it  to  Christ :  Ithbarnash ,  He 
was  made  [or,  became],  a  man ,  [literally,  a  son  of  man\.  Darnel, 


42 


CHRIST  HIS  0  W N  WITNESS. 


plied  by  Jesus  to  Himself  it  always  has  in  the  Greek, 
as  in  the  English,  the  definite  article :  THE  MAN,* 
and  expresses  at  once  His  real  humanity  and  also 
His  peculiarity,  as  one  distinct  from  all  other  men : 

“  that  Son  of  man  (or,  that  man)  who  is  also  more 
than  man,  the  Messiah,  Son  of  God.” 

In  further  illustration  of  Jesus’  mode  of  speaking 
of  Himself  as  a  man,  we  recall  His  words  in  the  gar¬ 
den  :  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorroivful ,  even  unto  death.*  1 * * 
Also  those  uttered  on  the  cross :  Father ,  into  thy 
hands  I  commend  my  spirit . 2  Jesus  had  a  human 
soul,  and  when  dying  He  commended  it  to  God. 
After  His  resurrection  He  said  to  His  disciples  :  Be¬ 
hold  my  hands  and  my  feet  that  it  is  I  myself :  handle 
me  and  see  ;  for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones  as  ye 
see  me  have?  And  to  the  doubting  Thomas:  Reach 
hither  thy  finger ,  and  behold  my  hands ;  and  reach 
hither  thy  hand  and  thrust  it  into  my  side ,  and  be  not 
faithless ,  but  believingd  These  words  of  Jesus  show 
that  He  was  “  clothed  in  a  body  like  our  own.” 

“  The  Word  was  made  flesh.”  “  In  all  things  it 
behoved  him  to  be  made  like  unto  his  brethren.” 

23.  THE  FAMILY  AND  KINDRED  OF  JESUS. 

In  the  Gospels  we  read  of  Mary,  Jesus’  mother,  of  • 
Joseph,  her  husband,  and  of  brethren  and  sisters  of 

writing  in  Chaldee,  speaks  of  the  Messiah  seen  by  him  in  vision. 

'“1^3-  a  son  °f  man  :  (it  is  in  the  indefinite  form)  i.  e. 

t  y:  ~  . 

like  a  man  (Ch.  vii.  13).  Compare  on  the  similar  phrase,  Son  of 
God,  §58,  p.  123,  sq. 

1  Mat.  xxvi.  38  ;  Mark  xiv.  34.  3  Luke  xxiii.  46. 

8  Luke  xxiv.  39.  4  John  xx.  27. 

*  There  is  one  single  exception  to  this  usage,  which  is  noticed 

on  page  265,  note  1. 


THE  HUMAN  NATURE  OF  JESUS. 


43 


Jesus.  Whether  these  were  children  of  Mary,  or  of 
her  brothers  or  sisters,  is  not  agreed,  and  can  not  be 
certainly  known.  Jesus  refers  occasionally  to  these 
kindred,  and  recognizes  their  relationship,  although 
generally  in  the  way  of  showing  that  He  has  higher 
relationships  and  responsibilities  than  His  connection 
with  them  involved.  In  his  twelfth  year  he  was  with 
“  his  parents  ”  at  Jerusalem  at  a  religious  feast.  When 
they  started  on  their  return  He  remained  behind, 
interested  in  the  religious  observances,  and  especially 
in  the  conversation  and  instructions  of  the  doctors  of 
the  law.  Joseph  and  Mary  having  returned  in  search 
of  Him,  found  Him  after  three  days  “  in  the  temple 
sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  doctors,  both  hearing  them 
and  asking  them  questions.”  To  His  mother,  who 
chided  Him  for  the  anxiety  and  trouble  He  had 
caused,  He  said  :  How  is  it  that  ye  sought  me  ?  Wist 
ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's  business  ? 1 

1  Luke  ii.  49:  “About  my  father’s  business.”  So  the  Eng. 
Translation  for  the  Greek,  iv  role  tov  rarqog  /uov,  in  the  ( things )  of 
my  Father.  The  common  rendering  means:  “You  should  not 
have  sought  me  at  all  ;  for  you  know  well  that  I  must  hence¬ 
forth  be  employed  in  the  work  given  me  by  my  heavenly  Father.” 
But  such  a  meaning  is  inconsistent  both  with  his  age  at  the  time, 
and  his  after  course  ;  for  He  went  down  with  them  to  Nazareth, 
lived  with  them,  was  subject  to  them  as  a  son,  and  for  eighteen 
years  longer  lived  a  private  life,  engaged,  doubtless,  in  some 
manual  employment  with  Joseph,  probably  that  of  a  carpenter. 
If,  instead  of  business,  we  understand  house ,  truth,  or  worship, 
or  all  these  together,  which  the  Greek  permits,  His  meaning  is, 
Why  did  you  go  elsewhere  in  search  of  me,  and  not  come  direct¬ 
ly  here  ?  Do  ye  not  yet  know  me  well  enough  to  be  sure  that  I 
would  be  in  my  Father’s  house,  here  where  His  worship  is  going 
on,  and  His  truth  taught? 


44 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


At  the  wedding  in  Cana,  soon  after  His  entrance 
on  His  ministry,  when  His  mother  told  Him,  They 
have  no  wine,  He  said  :  Woman ,  what  ]iave  I  to  do 
with  thee?  Mine  hour  is  not  yet  coined  There  are 
several  difficulties  in  the  interpretation  of  these  words  ; 
but  they  at  least  express  to  Mary  that  He  had  now 
entered  upon  His  life-work  as  a  man,  and  must  act 
upon  His  own  convictions  as  to  what  He  must  do, 
and  when.  To  His  unbelieving  brethren  who  urged 
Him  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem  that  His  miracles  might 
be  more  widely  known,  He  replied  :  My  time  is  not 
yet  come ,  but  your  time  is  always  ready.  The  world 
cannot  hate  you,  but  me  it  hateth  because  I  testify  of 
it  that  the  works  thereof  are  evil.  Go  ye  up  unto  this 
feast  :  I  go  not  up  yet  unto  this  feast  :  for  my  time  is 
not  yet  full  come.2  Here,  too,  with  much  that  is  ob¬ 
scure,  that  for  which  we  refer  now  to  the  words,  is 
plain,  viz. :  Jesus  tells  them  that  His  character  and 
His  relations  to  the  world  are  unlike  theirs,  and 
therefore  His  plans  and  times  of  action  must  also  be 
different.  They,  therefore,  are  no  counsellors  for  Him  ; 
He  can  not  act  upon  their  advice.  Again,  when 
Jesus’  miracles  and  instructions  had  drawn  great 
crowds  around  Him  and  He  was  devoting  all  His 
time  and  strength  and  zeal  to  His  labors  for  them, 
His  mother  and  brethren,  feeling  that  He  was  going 
too  far,  and  was  indeed  beside  Himself,  wished  to 
withdraw  Him  from  the  crowds  and  from  the  work. 
They  therefore  came  up  to  the  outer  edge  of  the 
multitude  and  sent  one  to  say  to  Him  :  “  Behold,  thy 

2  John  vii.  6,  7,  8. 


1  John  ii.  4. 


THE  HUMAN  NA  TURE  OF  JESUS. 


45 


mother  and  thy  brethren  stand  without,  desiring  to 
speak  with  thee.”  But  He  answered  and  said  to 
him  that  told  Him  :  Who  is  my  mother  ?  and  who  are 
my  brethren  ?  And  He  stretched  forth  His  hand 
toward  his  disciples  and  said  :  Behold  my  mother  and 
my  brethren.  For  whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven ,  the  same  is  my  brother  and 
sister  and  mother . 1  The  sentiment,  so  far  as  His 
kindred  are  concerned,  is  the  same  as  before.  Even 
His  mother,  yielding  probably  to  the  urgency  of  the 
rest,  had  engaged  in  an  effort  which  showed  a  want 
of  knowledge  of  His  principles  and  objects,  if  not  a 
lack  of  sympathy  with  them.  He  will  not,  therefore, 
yield  to  their  wishes.  He  has  other  and  stronger  re¬ 
lationships  than  those  of  blood.  On  the  cross,  when 
about  to  die,  with  truly  filial  tenderness  and  care,  He 
recognized  His  mother  and  the  disciple  standing  by, 
whom  He  loved,  and  He  said  unto  His  mother : 
Woman ,  behold  thy  son.  Then  saith  He  to  the  disci¬ 
ple  :  Behold  thy  mother.  And  from  that  hour  that 
disciple  took  her  unto  his  own  home.1  2  What  filial 
love  ! 

Jesus  was  a  true  son  and  brother.  He  recognized 

His  higher  relationships  and  duties,  and  put  them 

highest ;  while  He  rendered  to  His  kindred,  and 

especially  to  His  mother,  all  due  affection  and  offices 

of  love.  He  did  just  what  He  requires  His  disciples 

to  do  when  He  savs :  “He  that  loveth  father  or 

* 


1  Mat.  xii.  46-50;  Mark  iii.  31-35  ;  Luke  viii.  19-21. 

2  John  xix.  25-27. 


4  6 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


mother  more  than  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me ;  and  he 
that  loveth  son  or  daughter  more  than  me  is  not 
worthy  of  me.”  1  They  must  prefer  Him,  and- duties 
to  Him,  above  the  nearest  earthly  ties — so  He  pre¬ 
fers  His  Father  and  His  Father’s  will.  Within  this 
limit  we  see  Him  most  affectionate  and  faithful  to 
His  mother  and  to  Joseph  :  and  it  is  pleasant,  too, 
to  know  that  of  those  called  “  brethren  of  Jesus,” 
James  the  Less  and  Judas,  not  Iscariot,  were  Apos¬ 
tles  of  Christ.2 

24.  JESUS  IDENTIFIES  HIMSELF. 

In  following  Jesus  now  beyond  the  circle  of  His 
family  and  kindred,  we  will  first  gather  together  the 
words  and  instances  in  which  He  recognizes  His  per¬ 
sonal  identity.  He  had  occasion  to  do  this  as  other 
persons  sometimes  have,  and  He  did  it  as  other  men 
do.  Jesus  had  once  remained  behind  to  dismiss  the 
multitude  and  to  pray  in  solitude,  sending  His  disci¬ 
ples  across  the  lake  in  a  boat  without  Him.  While 
they  were  laboring  with  their  oars,  being  tossed  by  a 
storm,  Jesus  drew  near  them,  walking  on  the  water. 
It  was  night,  and  the  disciples  seeing  Him  thought  it 
was  a  spirit.  But  straightway  Jesus  spake  unto  them, 
saying  :  Be  of  good  cheer  ;  it  is  I :  be  not  afraid. 3  In 
the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  the  band  of  men,  headed 
by  Judas,  came  upon  Him,  and  Jesus  asked  them: 
Whom  seek  ye?  They  answered  him,  Jesus  of  Naza- 

1  Mat.  x.  3 7.  2  See  Gal.  i.  19;  Jude  i.  ;  Acts  i.  13. 

3  Mat.  xiv.  27  ;  Mark  vi.  50  ;  John  vi.  20,  Greek  Ey«  el/u.  See 
on  this,  §  5,  note. 


THE  HUM  AH  NATURE  OF  JESUS. 


47 


reth.  Jesus  saith  unto  them  :  I  am  he.  As  soon, 
then,  as  He  had  said  unto  them,  I  am  he,  they  went 
backward  and  fell  to  the  ground.  Then  asked  He 
them  again:  Whom  seek  ye  ?  And  they  said,  Jesus 
of  Nazareth.  Jesus  answered  :  I  have  told  you  that  I 
am  he. 1  We  have  already  quoted  His  words  spoken 
to  His  disciples  and  to  Thomas  after  His  resurrec¬ 
tion.1 2  Our  object  then  was  to  show  that  He  spoke 
of  Himself  as  having  a  real  body.  But  they  are  also 
and  specially  words  of  self-identification  :  Behold  my 
hands  and  my  feet  that  it  is  I  myself ;  handle  me  and 
see. 3  Reach  hither  thy  finger  and  behold  my  hands ; 
and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and  thrust  it  into  my  side  : 
and  be  not  faithless,  but  believing . 4  He  was  the  same 
one  that  was  crucified. 

To  these  identifications  of  Himself  made  when  still 
in  the  flesh,  we  add  those  made  after  His  exaltation  to 
heaven.  To  Saul  of  Tarsus,  on  his  way  and  his  errand 
of  persecution  to  Damascus,  there  appeared  a  light 
from  heaven,  and  a  voice  said  :  Saul,  Said,  why  per- 
secutest  thou  me?  And  he  said,  Who  art  thou,  Lord? 
And  the  Lord  said  :  I  am  Jesus  whom  thou  persccut- 
est.b  John,  also,  in  Patmos,  saw  in  vision  “  one  like 
unto  the  Son  of  man  ”  who  made  Himself  known 
to  His  disciple  :  I  am  he  that  liveth  and  was  dead,  and 
behold  I  am  alive  forevermore. 6  And  again  :  /,  Jesus, 
have  sent  mine  angel  to  testify  unto  you  these  things  in 
the  churches. 7 


1  John  xviii.  4-8.  2  See  §  22,  p.  42.  3  Luke  xxiv.  39. 

*  John  xx.  27.  6  Acts  ix.  5.  6  Rev.  i.  18.  7  Rev.  xxii.  16, 


48 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


Jesus  sometimes  concealed  His  official  character  from 
those  who  could  not  understand  it  and  would  abuse 
their  knowledge  ;  but  otherwise  He  always  appeared 
without  disguise,  in  His  true  personality,  and,  with 
some  apparent  exceptions  after  His  resurrection,  with¬ 
out  any  variation  in  His  appearance.  His  friends  and 
associates  knew  His  well-defined  features,  voice  and 
clothing,  just  as  they  did  those  of  any  other  acquaint¬ 
ance.  He  had  in  all  respects  a  confessed  and  rec¬ 
ognized  personality,  a  name  and  place  in  society 
like  any  other  man,  and  that  name  was  “  JESUS  of 
Nazareth.”  Even  in  heaven  He  calls  Himself  by  the 
name  Jesus  ;  it  signifies  SAVIOUR.  1 

In  the  chapter  on  the  Pre-existence  of  the  Mes¬ 
siah 2  we  saw  Jesus  declaring  His  identity  in  refer¬ 
ence  to  that  previous  state.  It  was  He,  the  same 
one  who  was  then  speaking  in  the  flesh,  that  was  also 
before  the  worlds  in  glory  with  His  Father.  Now  we 
perceive  that  He  claims  His  name  Jesus  which  He 
bore  in  the  flesh,  after  having  “  ascended  up  where 
he  was  before.”  The  whole  truth  of  His  eternal  and 
unchangeable  identity  is  expressed  by  inspiration  : 
“  Jesus  Christ  the  same  yesterday,  and  to-day,  and 
forever,” 3  and  even  stronger  by  His  own  words:  1 
am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  First  and  the  Last } 

25.  JESUS  AS  A  JEW. 

We  now  look  at  Jesus  beyond  the  circle  of  Elis 
family  and  the  boundaries  of  the  city  “  where  he  was 


1  Mat.  i.  21. 


2§  13,  p.  21. 


3  Heb.  xiii.  8. 


4  Rev.  i.  1 7. 


THE  HUMAN  NA  TURE  OF  JESUS. 


49 


brought  up,”  and  so  in  His  broader  relations  to  church 
and  state. 

As  a  Jew,  “  made  under  the  law,”  Jesus  observed 
the  prescribed  festivals  and  other  usages  of  the  Jew¬ 
ish  religion.  He  paid  His  half-shekel  to  the  treasury 
of  the  Temple  annually  like  every  other  Jew.  He 
claimed  indeed  that  as  the  Son  of  God,  He  was  in 
fact  exempt  from  this  tax :  Then  are  the  children 
free.  But  He  said  to  Peter:  Lest  we  shoiild  offend 
them ,  go  thou  to  the  sea,  and  cast  an  hook ,  and  take  up 
the  fish  that  first  comet h  up ;  and  when  thou  hast 
ope?ied  his  mouth  thou  shalt  find  a  piece  of  money ; 
that  take  and  give  unto  them  for  me  and  thee. 1  He 
said  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  :  I  go  not  up  yet  unto 
this  feast ;  for  my  time  is  not  yet  fidl  corned  The  his¬ 
torian  adds  that  after  abiding  a  while  longer  in  Gali¬ 
lee  He  went  to  the  feast.  He  observed  the  Passover. 
He  said  to  His  disciples  :  Go  and  prepare  us  the  pass- 
over  that  we  may  eat. 3  Go  into  the  city  to  such  a  man 
and  say  unto  him  the  Master  saith ,  My  time  is  at  hand ; 
I  will  keep  the  passover  at  thy  house  with  my  disciples. 4 
Mark  and  Luke  give  His  words  more  fully  :  Go  yc 
into  the  city ,  and  there  shall  meet  you  a  man  bearing  a 
pitcher  of  water  :  follow  him.  And  wheresoever  he 
shall  go  in,  say  ye  to  the  good  man  of  the  house,  The  Mas¬ 
ter  saith,  Where  is  the  guest-chamber  where  I  shall  eat 
the  passover  with  my  disciples  ?  A  nd  he  will  show  you 
a  large  upper  room  furnished  and  prepared ;  there  make 
ready  for  us. 5  When  they  were  all  gathered  at  the 


*Mat.  xvii.  2\-2j.  2Johnvii.  8.  3  Luke  xxii.  8. 

4  Mat.  xxvi.  1 8.  5  Mark  xiv.  13,  14,  15  ;  Luke  xxii.  10,  11. 


3 


50 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


passover  table,  He  said  unto  them :  With  desire  1 
have  desired  to  eat  this  passover  with  you  before  1 
suffer . 1 

2 6.  JESUS  AS  A  CITIZEN. 

i 

Jesus’  position  among  the  people  was  that  of  a 
private  citizen.  He  did  not  possess  any  civil  author¬ 
ity  nor  fulfill  any  office  of  public  duty.  Not  being  a 
civil  magistrate  He  would  not  do  anything  which 
only  such  a  one  could  rightly  do.  Therefore  when 
He  was  applied  to  by  one  of  two  brothers  who  were 
contending  about  the  division  of  their  inheritance 
He  refused  to  interfere,  saying  :  Man ,  who  7nade  me  a 
ruler  or  divider  over  you? 2  But  He  took  occasion 
from  the  incident  to  teach  both  the  applicant  and  the 
others  present  how  much  better  it  was  to  be  earnest 
in  securing  a  heavenly  than  an  earthly  treasure.  For 
the  same  reason,  doubtless,  He  refused  to  act  in  the 
case  of  the  adulteress  who  was  brought  to  Him  that 
He  might  prescribe  her  punishment.  They  who 
brought  her  having  all  withdrawn,  Jesus  said  to  her  : 
Woman ,  where  are  those  thine  accusers?  Hath  no  man 
condemned  thee  ?  (That  is,  Hast  thou  not  been  con¬ 
demned  by  the  proper  tribunal?)  And  she  said,  No 
man,  Lord.  And  Jesus  said  to  her  :  Neither  do  I  con¬ 
demn  thee :  Go  and  sin  no  more . 3  ButwhileHewould 
not  interfere  with  the  magistrate’s  duty  by  condemn¬ 
ing  her,  He  dealt  faithfully  with  her  as  a  Moral 

aLukexxii.  15.  2  Luke  xii.  14. 

5  John  viii.  11.  This  whole  passage,  John  viii.  1-11,  is  of  very 
doubtful  authority  because  it  is  wanting  in  io  many  of  the  lead 
ing  manuscripts,  etc. 


THE  HUMAN  NATURE  OF  JESUS. 


51 


Teacher  and  Reprover.  Those  last  words,  Go  and 
sin  no  more,  both  taught  her  her  guilt,  and  warned 
her  to  repentance  and  a  life  of  purity  thenceforth. 

In  all  these  incidents  and  words  we  see  in  Jesus  an 
ever-present  sense  of  His  true  position  and  relations 
in  the  world,  and  the  nicest  conformity  to  them  in 
conduct.  His  words  to  Pilate,  My  kingdom  is  not  of 
this  world, 1  is  the  key  to  the  whole. 


Holm  xviii.  36. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS. 

27.  THE  FACTS  IN  HIS  LIFE  MENTIONED  BY  JESUS. 

Let  us  now  gather  together  and  arrange  in  order  the 
various  notices  which  occur  in  the  words  of  Jesus  of 
the  incidents  and  experiences  of  His  earthly  life.  We 
will  present  them  now  simply  as  facts  without  any 
reference  to  their  doctrinal  content  or  bearing.  Jesus 
refers  to  them  only  incidentally;  He  has  furnished  us 
no  autobiography,  and  given  no  narrative  of  the 
whole  or  even  a  part  of  His  life-experience.  The 
notices  which  occur  therefore  are  very  fragmentary, 
and  afford  by  themselves  a  very  imperfect  view  of 
His  whole  history.  But  this  very  character  of  these 
notices  makes  them  more  valuable  as  testimony.  They 
were  evidently  not  gotten  up  by  the  historians  and 
put  into  the  mouth  of  their  hero  ;  they  occur  too 
naturally  for  this,  and  have  their  rise  in  the  circum¬ 
stances  of  the  speaker  and  the  occasion.  They  are 
manifestly  in  situ ,  in  the  very  connection  and  rela¬ 
tions  which  they  had  in  His  words  as  He  spoke  to 
the  occasion  before  Him.  They  are  therefore  just 
so  many  more  “  incidental  coincidences  ”  between 
Jesus  himself  and  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament. 
His  history,  familiar  to  both,  receives  from  both  its 
(52) 


THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS. 


53 


appropriate  testimony;  He  in  His  teachings  inci¬ 
dentally  alludes  to  its  facts  ;  they  write  their  con¬ 
nected  narratives  of  those  facts. 

28.  REFERENCES  MADE  BY  JESUS  TO  HIS  ABIDING 
PLACES,  MOVEMENTS,  VISITS,  AND  INTERVIEWS. 

At  the  Jordan  the  two  disciples  of  John  who  heard 
their  Master  say  of  Jesus,  “  Behold  the  Lamb  of 
God/’1  followed  Jesus  and  asked  Him:  “Rabbi, 
where  dwellest  thou  ?  ”  He  said  unto  them  :  Come 
and  see . 2  They  came  and  saw  where  He  dwelt. 
When  offense  began  to  be  taken  by  the  Pharisees  in 
Judea  at  the  number  of  His  baptisms,  He  went  into 
Galilee;  “for  Jesus  himself  testified  that  a  prophet 
hath  no  honor  in  his  own  country .”  3  In  the  synagogue 
at  Nazareth,  He  said:  Ye  will  surely  say  unto  me  this 
proverb ,  Physician ,  heal  thyself :  whatsoever  we  have 
heard  done  in  Capernaum  do  also  here  in  thy  country. 
A  ndhe  said ,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  No  prophet  is  accepted 
in  his  own  country. 4  Jesus  resided  and  taught  most  in 
the  towns  and  country  around  the  lake  of  Galilee, 
and  had  frequent  occasion  to  pass  over  its  waters. 

JJohn  i.  36.  2v.  39.  3  John  iy-  44- 

4  Luke  iv.  23,  24.  Here  it  is  plain  that  by  the  words,  “  in  his 
own  country,”  as  applied  by  Jesus  to  Himself,  Nazareth  is  meant; 
but  in  the  preceding  case  (John  iv.  44)  Judea  and  Jerusalem 
seem  to  be  meant.  These  might  well  be  calfed  the  native  coun¬ 
try  (rrargU)  of  Jesus,  as  He  was  born  in  Bethlehem,  “  King  of  the 
Jews,”  whose  capital  was  Jerusalem,  where  also  was  the  temple, 
the  house  of  his  “  Father.”  The  saying  is  proverbial  ;  its  terms 
therefore  admit  of  a  wide  application.  Robinson  (N.  T.  Lexi¬ 
con,  yug,  I.  b.),  supposes  Nazareth  referred  to  in  both  cases. 


54 


CHRIST  IIIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


We  find  Him  giving  the  order  to  His  disciples  :  Let 
us  go  over  unto  the  other  side  of  the  lake . 1  Again,  He 
directs  their  movements  on  the  land  :  Let  us  go  into 
the  next  towns  that  I  may  preach  there  also. 2  I  must 
preach  the  kingdom  of  God  to  other  cities  also.3 4 *  He 
said  to  Zaccheus  in  the  sycamore  tree :  Zaccheus, 
make  haste  and  come  down  ;  for  to-day  L  must  abide  at 
thy  housed  Talking  to  Simon,  who  was  entertaining 
Him,  He  had  occasion  to  say:  I  entered  into  thine 

house ,  etc . Since  the  time  L came  in ,  etc. 5  Word 

came  to  Him  that  His  friend  Lazarus  was  sick.  He 
said  to  His  disciples:  Let  us  go  into  Judea  again. 6 
Our  friend  Lazarus  sleep eth ,  but  L go  that  I  may  awake 
him  out  of  sleep. 7  Lazarus  is  dead.  .  .  .  nevertheless 
let  us  go  unto  him. 8  Certain  of  the  Pharisees  said  to 
Him  when  in  Galilee:  “Get  thee  out  and  depart 
hence,  for  Herod  will  kill  thee.  And  He  said  unto 
them  :  Go  ye  and  tell  that  fox ,  Behold  I  cast  07it  devils 
and  I  do  C7ircs  to-day  a7id  to-morrow ,  and  the  third  day 
L  shall  be  perfected  (shall  have  finished  my  work). 
Nevertheless ,  I  must  walk  to-day  and  to-morrozv,  a?id 
the  day  following;for  it  can  77ot  be  that  a  prophet  per¬ 
ish  out  of  Jerusalem . 9  Jesus  in  these  words  spoke 
more  in  detail  of  His  plans  of  movement  and  labor 
than  in  any  others  which  are  recorded.  The  occasion 
led  Him  to  do  it.  His  plans,  as  it  appears,  were 
fixed  both  as  to’  the  work  to  be  done  and  the  time  it 
was  to^occupy,  and  Herod  would  fail  to  prevent  their 

1  Luke  viii.  22.  2  Mark  i.  38.  8  Luke  iv.  43. 

4  Luke  xix.  5.  6  Luke  vii.  44,  45.  H  John  xi.  7. 

T  Ibid.  v.  11.  8  Ibid.  v.  14,  15.  0  Luke  xiii.  32,  33. 


THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS. 


55 


accomplishment.  On  His  last  journey  through  the 
country  He  said  to  His  disciples:  Behold  zue  go  zip  to 
Jerusalem . 1  When  giving  orders  to  bring  Him  the 
ass’s  colt  that  He  might  ride  into  Jerusalem,  He  told 
the  messengers  :  Say,  The  Lord  hath  need  of  him. 2 3 
When  asked  by  the  disciples  where  they  should  pre¬ 
pare  the  Passover,  He  said  :  Go  into  the  city  to  such  a 
man  and  say  unto  him ,  The  Master  saith ,  My  time  is 
at  hand,  I  zvill  keep  the  passover  at  thy  house  with  my 
disciples. 3  There  make  ready  for  us. 4 * *  To  His  cap- 
tors  in  the  garden  He  said  of  His  habitual  places  of 
resort :  I  sat  daily  with  you  teaching  in  the  temple. 5 
At  the  last  supper,  in  the  progress  of  His  discourse, 
He  said:  Arise ,  let  us  go  hence. 6  In  Gethsemane,  at 
the  close  of  His  agony  :  Rise,  let  us  be  going  :  behold 
he  is  at  hand  that  doth  betray  me. 7  On  the  morning 
of  the  resurrection,  to  the  women  :  Go  tell  my  brethren 
that  they  go  into  Galilee,  and  there  shall  they  see  me. 8 
Go  to  my  brethren ,  and  say  unto  them,  I  ascend  unto 
my  Father  and  your  Father,  and  to  my  God  and  your 
God  A 

We  can  not  fail  to  be  struck  with  the  incidental 
and  fragmentary  character  of  these  references  made 
by  Jesus  to  His  plans  and  movements,  and  to  see  also 


1  Luke  xviii.  31.  2  Mark  xi.  3  ;  Mat.  xxi.  3  ;  Luke  xix.  31. 

3  Mat.  xxvi.  18;  Mark  xiv.  13,  14;  Luke  xxii.  10,  11. 

4  Mark  xiv.  15. 

6  Mat.  xxvi.  55  ;  Mark  xiv.  49 ;  Luke  xxii.  53. 

°John  xiv.  31.  7  Mat.  xxvi.  46  ;  Mark  xiv.  42. 

“Mat.  xxviii.  10.  9  John  xx.  17. 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITHE SS. 


56 

how  well  they  accord  with  the  history  given  by  the 
writers.  They  touch  it  only  here  and  there,  but  al¬ 
ways  consistently  with  the  facts  as  recorded  else¬ 
where.  The  incidents  are  the  natural  occurrences  in 
the  life  of  one  who  went  about  doing  good. 

29.  NOTICES  BY  JESUS  OF  HIS  ASSOCIATES. 

Jesus  was  social  in  His  habits,  and  mingled  freely 
with  all.  Both  enemies  and  friends  had  free  access 
to  Him.  There  was  that  in  Him  which  drew  all  classes 
to  Him.  Especially  did  He  mingle  freely  with  the 
COMMON  PEOPLE  who  pressed  up  to  hear  Him  and  to 
see  and  be  benefited  by  His  miracles.  He  speaks  of 
these  multitudes,  of  their  coming,  of  their  being 
present,  and  continuing  with  Him.  When  the  citi¬ 
zens  of  Sychar  were  coming  out  to  Him  in  great 
numbers,  Jesus  referring  to  them  (perhaps  pointing) 
said  to  the  disciples :  Say  not  ye,  There  are  yet  four 
7nonths  and  then  cometh  the  harvest  ?  behold  I  say  unto 
you ,  Lift  7 ip  your  eyes  and  look  on  the  fields  ;  for  they 
are  white  already  to  harvest. 1  When  Jesus  then 
lifted  up  His  eyes  and  saw  a  great  company  come 
unto  Him,  He  saith  unto  Philip:  Whence  shall  we 
buy  bread  that  these  may  eat  ? 2  And  again  :  I  have 
compassion  on  the  multitude ,  for  they  continue  with  me 
now  three  days  and  have  nothing  to  eat. 3 

Jesus  mingled  even  WITH  TPIE  WORST  OF  MEN; 
and  when  evil-minded  Pharisees  asked  His  disciples 
with  significant  insinuation,  “  Why  eateth  your  mas* 


1  J°hn  iv.  35. 


2  John  vi.  5. 


3  Mat.  xv.  32  ;  Mark  viii.  2. 


THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS. 


57 


ter  with  publicans  and  sinners?”  Jesus  said:  They 
that  be  whole  need  not  a  physician,  but  they  that  are 
sick ;  for  lam  not  come  to  call  the  righteous,  but  shifters 
to  repentance. 1  The  worse  they  were  the  more  they 
needed  His  merciful  help.  It  was,  according  to  Luke, 
in  answer  to  the  same  reproach  that  He  spake  the 
parable  of  the  lost  sheep,  of  the  lost  piece  of  money 
and  of  the  prodigal  son.  They  all  illustrate  His  own 
interest  in  saving  men  and  justify  His  mingling  with 
the  degraded  and  vicious.1  2 

Women  and  children  found  access  to  Him. 
When  mothers  pressed  up  for  His  blessing  on  their 
babes,  and  the  disciples  endeavored  to  prevent  them, 
Jesus  said:  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me 
and  forbid  them  not . 3  None  were  too  low  for  His 
notice.  When  the  beggar  Bartimeus  and  his  com¬ 
panion  cried,  “  Jesus,  thou  son  of  David,  have  mercy 
on  us,”  Jesus  stood  still  and  called  them  and  said: 
What  will  ye  that  I  shall  do  unto  you  f 4  To  the  pub¬ 
lican  Zaccheus,  the  rich  extortioner,  He  said  :  To-day 
I  must  abide  at  thy  house. 5  Of  the  woman  who  was 
a  sinner,  repenting  and  weeping  at  His  feet  :  Her 
sins,  which  are  many,  are  forgiven;  for  she  loved 
much. 6 

But  Jesus’  most  constant  and  intimate  associates 
were  His  disciples.  He  had  called  them  with  the 
words,  Follow  me. 7  In  the  upper-room  at  the  last 

1  Mat.  ix.  12,  13  ;  Luke  v.  31,  32  ;  Mark  ii.  17. 

2  Luke,  ch.  xv.  3 *  Mat.  xix.  14  ;  Mark  x.  14  ;  Luke  xviii.  16. 

4  Luke  xviii.  41  ;  Mat.  xx.  32  ;  Mark  x.  51. 

6  Luke  xix.  5.  “Luke  vii.  47.  7  John  i.  43,  etc. 


58 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


passover,  He  said  to  them :  Ye  have  been  with  me 
from  the  beginning. 1  Ye  are  they  who  have  continued 
with  me  in  my  temptations. 2  Have  I  been  so  long  time 
with  you  and  yet  hast  thou  not  known  me ,  Philip  ? 3 
But  these  things  have  I  told  you,  that  when  the  time 
shall  come  ye  may  remember  that  I  told  you  of  them. 
A  nd  these  things  I  said  not  unto  you  at  the  beginning 
because  I  was  with  you. 4 

These  words  imply  the  most  intimate  association 
and  acquaintance  with  His  disciples  throughout  His 
public  life. 

30.  JESUS  MAKES  MENTION  OF  HIS  EMPLOYMENTS. 

Most  if  not  all  of  Jesus’  time  was  spent  in  preach¬ 
ing  and  teaching  and  working  miracles.  We  now 
refer  to  these  merely  as  facts  of  His  earthly  history. 
Speaking  of  His  teaching  and  preaching,  He  said  : 
Let  us  go  into  the  next  towns  that  I  may  preach  there 
also. 5  I  must  preach  the  kingdom  of  God  to  other 
cities  also.6 *  The  poor  have  the  Gospel  preached  to  them  J 
If  I  have  told  you  (Nicodemus  and  the  Jerusalem  pub¬ 
lic)  earthly  things  and  ye  believe  not ,  how  shall  ye  be¬ 
lieve  if  I  tell  you  of  heavenly  things  f 8  To  His  disciples 
at  the  last  supper  :  But  these  things  have  I  told  you. 
And  these  things  I  said  7iot  unto  you  at  the  beginning 
because  I  was  with  you. 9  Hereafter  I  will  not  talk 
much  with  you. 10  These  words  imply  His  habit  of 

1  John  xv.  27.  2  Luke  xxii.  28.  3  John  xiv.  9. 

4  John  xvi.  4.  6  Mark  i.  38.  6  Luke  iv.  43. 

7  Mat.  xi.  5  ;  Luke  vii.  22.  8  John  iii.  12. 

9  John  xvi.  4.  10  John  xiv.  30. 


THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS. 


59 


discoursing  freely  with  them.  To  His  captors  :  I  sat 
daily  with  you  teaching  in  the  temple  and  ye  laid,  no 
hold  on  me  A  These  words  are  full  of  just  reproach. 
It  would  have  been  far  more  convenient  for  them,  as 
to  place  and  time,  to  take  Him  when  He  was  teach¬ 
ing  in  the  temple.  But  the  excellence  of  His  doc¬ 
trines  caused  such  admiration  of  Him  by  the  people 
that  it  was  impossible,  or  at  least  unsafe,  to  capture 
Him  there.  He  said  to  the  Jewish  council :  I  spake 
openly  to  the  world :  I  ever  taught  in  the  synagogue 
and  in  the  temple.  Ask  them  which  heard  me  :  behold 
they  know  what  I  said  A  When  He  was  about  to  as¬ 
cend  :  These  are  the  words  which  I  spake  unto  you 
while  I  was  yet  with  you. 3 

31.  REFERENCES  MADE  BY  JESUS  TO  HIS  MIRACLES. 

Jesus  spoke  of  His  miracles,  upon  occasion,  as  well- 
known  facts.  He  noticed  the  demand  of  the  people 
of  Nazareth  that  He  should  do  there  what  He  had 
done  in  Capernaum.4  To  John’s  messengers  He  said: 
The  blind  receive  their  sight  and  the  lame  walk,  the 
lepers  are  cleansed  and  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are 
raised  up  and  the  poor  have  the  Gospel  preached  to  them .5 6 
When  the  poor  woman  touched  the  hem  of  His  gar¬ 
ment,  He  said:  Who  touched  me?  Somebody  hath 
touched  me  ;  for  I  perceive  that  virtue  is  gone  out  of  me? 
In  controversy  with  adversaries,  referring  to  the  cure 

1  Mat.  xxvi.  55  ;  Mark  xiv.  48,  49  ;  Luke  xxii.  52,  53. 

2  John  xviii.  20,  21.  3  Luke  xxiv.  44.  4  Luke  iv.  23. 

5  Mat.  xi.  5  ;  Luke  vii.  22. 

6  Luke  viii.  45,  46 ;  Mat.  ix.  22  ;  Mark  v.  30-34. 


6o 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


of  the  man  at  the  pool  of  Bethesda,  He  said  :  I  have 
done  one  work  and  ye  all  marvel}  .  ...  Are  ye  angry 
at  me  because  I  have  made  a,  man  every  whit  whole  on  the 
Sabbath  day  ? 2  Of  the  withered  fig-tree  :  Ye  shall  7iot 
only  do  this  zvhich  is  done  unto  the  fig-tree }  Many  good 
works  have  I  shewed  you  from  my  Father  ;  for  which  of 
those  works  do  ye  stone  me  ? 4  If  I  had  7iot  done  a77iong 
them  the  works  zvhich  none  other  7nan  did ,  they  had  7iot 
had  sin.*  Of  the  inhabitants  of  the  cities  in  which 
most  of  His  mighty  works  were  done,  because  they 
repented  not :  Woe  unto  thee ,  Chorazin  !  woe  mito  thee, 
Bethsaida  !  for  if  the  mighty  zvorks  which  zvere  do7ie  in 
you  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon  they  would  have 
repe7ited  long  ago  in  sackcloth  and  ashes .  And  thou , 
Capernaum,  which  art  exalted  unto  heaven,  shalt  be 
brought  down  to  hell ;  for  if  the  znighty  works  zvhich 
have  bee7i  done  in  thee  had  bee7i  done  in  So  do  771,  it  would 
have  rei7iamed  until  this  day.  But  I  say  unto  you  that 
it  shall  be  77iore  tolerable  for  the  la7id  of  Sodom  in  the 
day  ofjudg7nent,  than  for  thee  A  All  those  sayings, 
too,  in  which  Jesus  speaks  of  His  miracles  as  bearing 
testimony  to  Him  belong  here. 7  His  miracles  are  a 
part  of  the  facts  of  His  life  mentioned  by  Himself. 

32.  PERSONAL  HABITS  OF  JESUS  IN  REGARD  TO 

BODILY  COMFORTS. 

Of  Jesus’  personal  habits  we  have  but  little  from  the 
Evangelists  and  still  less  from  Himself.  But  there  is 

Oohnvii.  21.  2  Ibid.  v.  23. 

4  John  x.  32. 

8  Mat.  xi.  21-23  ;  Luke  x.  13-15. 


3  Mat.  xxi.  21. 
5  John  xv.  24. 

7  See  §  4. 


THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS. 


6 1 


a  reference  or  two.  He  thought  but  little  about  His 
bodily  wants  and  comforts.  Absorbed  in  His  great 
work,  when  directly  engaged  in  enlightening  and 
guiding  an  immortal  soul  He  refused  to  eat,  though 
hungry,  saying :  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  his  work . 1  Being  hungry 
after  forty  days’  fasting  He  refused  to  make  bread  for 
Himself  from  stones  when  tempted  so  to  do,  quoting 
as  His  reason  the  Scripture  :  Man  shall  not  live  by 
bread  alone ,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of 
the  mouth  of  God. 2  Reproving  the  unreasonableness 
of  the  people  in  rejecting  both  Himself  and  John  the 
Baptist,  and  comparing  them  to  children  who  could 
never  agree  what  play  to  engage  in,  He  said :  For 
John  came  neither  eating  nor  drinking ,  and  they  say, 
He  hath  a  devil.  The  Son  of  man  came  eating  and 
drinking,  and  they  say,  Behold  a  man  gluttonous,  and 
a  winebibber . 3  The  incidental  character  of  this  notice 
is  very  striking.  But  what  does  it  tell  us  in  regard 
to  Jesus’  habits?  Doubtless  the  representation  of 
His  adversaries,  which  He  quoted,  was  an  exaggera¬ 
tion.  He  whose  whole  life  was  a  self-denial  did  not 
indulge  His  appetite.  But  yet  their  words  had  some 
foundation  in  fact  :  “  The  Son  of  man  came  eating  and 
dr  inking T  Jesus  had  no  rules  and  habits  of  austerity 
which  separated  Him  from  other  people.  We  have  seen 
how  freely  He  mingled  with  people  of  all  classes.  He 
ate  also  with  all,  Pharisee  and  publican,  Zaccheus  and 


2  Mat.  iv.  4  ;  Lake  iv.  4. 
3  Mat.  xi.  16-19;  Luke  vii.  31-35. 


1  John  iv.  3P 


62 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


Simon  and  Lazarus.  His  direction  to  His  disciples: 
Eat  such  things  as  are  set  before  you, 1  was  doubtless 
the  rule  He  himself  followed.  When  hungry,  He 
could  be  satisfied  with  last  year’s  figs  hanging  on  the 
tree  in  March.  When  without  a  pillow,  He  could, 
like  Jacob,  lay  His  head  upon  a  stone.  His  personal 
habits  showed  at  once  contempt  for  scrupulous,  exter¬ 
nal  rules,  and  a  superiority  to  bodily  appetite  through 
devotion  to  higher — to  the  highest — objects.  In  refer¬ 
ence  to  His  dispensing  thus  with  gratifications  and 
laboring  for  others,  He  says:  I  am  among  you  as  he 
that  serveth. 2 

33.  JESUS’  VARIOUS  EXPERIENCES  OF  BODILY  WANTS. 

“  Though  he  was  rich,  yet  for  our  sakes  he  became 
poor.”  He  received  the  entertainment  which  was 
given  Him,  and  necessary  supplies  from  those  that 
“  ministered  to  him  of  their  substance,”  on  the  prin¬ 
ciple  that  “  the  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire."  3  But 
these  were  not  always  enough  ;  so  that  He  was  led 
to  say  :  The  foxes  have  holes  and  the  birds  of  the  air 
have  nests,  but  the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  his 
head. 4  These  words  were  spoken  to  a  certain  Scribe 
who  proposed  to  follow  Him,  and  were  intended  to 
be  a  test  of  his  earnestness  and  readiness  to  bear 
what  following  Jesus  might  bring  upon  him  ;  but  in 
reference  to  Jesus  himself  they  are  exceedingly 
touching,  contrasting,  as  they  do,  His  own  lack  with 


1  Luke  x.  8. 

3  Luke  x.  7  ;  Mat.  x.  10. 


2  Luke  xxii.  27. 

4  Mat.  viii.  20  ;  Luke  ix.  58. 


THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS. 


63 


the  supplies  enjoyed  by  beasts  and  birds.  The  inci¬ 
dent  is  the  more  touching  if  it  occurred,  as  in  Luke’s 
order,  immediately  after  He  had  been  refused  a  lodg¬ 
ing  in  a  Samaritan  village,  and  was  on  his  way  to 
seek  for  accommodation  elsewhere.  The  spirit  of  the 
.  words  is  that  of  ready  submission  to  discomfort  and 
want,  in  the  prosecution  of  His  great  work  of  mercy. 

Jesus  was  sometimes  hungry.  He  was  so  when, 
after  fasting  forty  days,  he  was  tempted  by  the  devil 
to  supply  Himself  by  a  miracle;  and  He  refused, 
saying  :  Man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone . 1  He  was 
hungry  at  the  well  of  Sychar  when  He  refused  to  eat 
what  His  disciples  had  brought,  saying:  I  have  meat 
to  eat  that  ye  know  not  of;  and  then  explained  :  My 
meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me. 2  And  He 
was  hungry  when  He  came  to  the  fig-tree,  and  finding 
no  figs,  He  said  :  Let  no  fruit  grow  on  thee  hencefor¬ 
ward  forever. 3 

Jesus  was  thirsty  when  He  sat  at  the  well  and 
asked  the  Samaritan  woman  :  Give  me  to  drink. 4  It 
does  not  appear  that  she  gave  Him  any.  Also  when 
He  had  hung  nearly  three  hours  on  the  cross,  He  cried, 
feebly  :  /  thirst. 5 

Such  and  similar  experiences  were  among  “  the 
trials”  of  which  Jesus  spoke  when  He  said  to  His 
disciples  :  Ye  arc  they  which  have  continued  with  me 
in  my  temptations .  (Greek,  neipaofiolg ;  the  word  sig¬ 
nifies  trials  as  well  as  temptations.)  6 

1  Mat.  iv.  4  ;  Luke  iv.  4. 

3  Mat.  xxi.  19  ;  Mark  xi.  1 

6  John  xix.  28. 


2  John  iv.  32,  34. 
4  John.  iv.  7. 

6  Luke  xxii.  28. 


64 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


34.  VARIOUS  EXPERIENCES  OF  JESUS  CAUSED  BY 
TREATMENT  RECEIVED  FROM  MEN. 

Jesus’  notice  of  these  shows  that  He  had  a  quick 
sense  of  kindness  and  unkindness. 

The  inhospitality  of  the  Samaritan  villagers  He 
deeply  felt,  though  He  refused  to  resent  it ;  on  the 
contrary  saying  :  The  Son  of  man  came  not  to  destroy 
mens  lives,  but  to  save  them. 1  Yet,  according  to 
Luke’s  order,  it  was  very  soon  after  that  that  He 
answered  the  Scribe  :  The  foxes  have  holes  and  the 
birds  of  the  air  have  nests,  but  the  Son  of  man  hath 
?iot  where  to  lay  his  head. 2  God’s  provision  for  the 
fowls  of  the  air  had  furnished  Him  at  another  time 
a  lesson  on  trust  in  Providence.  Here  He  feelingly, 
though  submissively,  contrasted  their  supplies  with 
His  own. 

s 

One  of  the  Pharisees  invited  Him  to  dine  with 
him  ;  and  He  went  in  and  sat  down  to  meat.  While 
He  was  reclining  at  the  table  a  woman  who  was  a 
sinner  brought  an  alabaster  box  of  ointment  and 
stood  at  His  feet  behind  Him  weeping,  and  began  to 
wash  His  feet  with  tears,  and  did  wipe  them  with  the 
hairs  of  her  head,  and  kissed  His  feet,  and  anointed 
them  with  the  ointment.  The  Pharisee  was  indulging 
in  unfavorable  reflections  upon  Jesus  at  this  occur¬ 
rence.  Jesus,  after  an  illustrative  parable,  said  to  him  : 
Seesl  thou  this  woman  ?  I  entered  into  thine  house  : 
thou  gavesi  me  no  water  for  my  feet ;  but  she  hath 


1  Luke  ix.  56. 


2  Mat.  viii.  20  ;  Luke  ix.  58. 


THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS.  6$ 

washed  my  feet  with  tears,  and  wiped  them  with  the 
hairs  of  her  head.  Thou  gavest  me  no  kiss  ;  but  this 
woman  since  the  time  I  came  in,  hath  not  ceased  to  kiss 
my  feet.  M ine  head  with  oil  thou  didst  not  anoint : 
but  this  woman  hath  anointed  my  feet  with  ointment. 1 

Here  were,  on  the  one  side,  shallow  courtesy  joined 
with  indifference  and  suspicion  ;  and  on  the  other, 
humble  gratitude  and  fervent  affection,  and  all  of 
them  appreciated  by  Jesus.  Especially  did  He  show 
His  interest  in  her  who  gave  such  earnest  expression 
of  her  love  and  gratitude. 

A  Centurion  that  is  a  Captain  in  the  Roman  army,  * 
and  so  not  a  Jew,  besought  Him  to  come  and  heal 
his  servant.  Jesus  was  going  to  his  house  ;  but  the 
centurion  expressed  his  unworthiness  to  have  Him 
enter  under  his  roof,  and  proposed  the  alternative  : 

“  Say  in  a  word  (that  is,  just  where  you  are)  and  my 
servait  shall  be  healed.”  And  he  gave  a  strong  ex¬ 
pression  of  his  sense  of  Jesus’  power  over  diseases, 
by  comparing  it  with  his  own  authority  over  his 
soldiers.  They  went  and  came  at  his  will  ;  so  dis¬ 
eases  would  at  Jesus’  word.  Jesus  admired  his  simple, 
beautiful  faith  :  I  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no,  not 
in  Israel. 2  It  was  partly  as  representing  the  faith 
in  Him  of  the  Gentiles,  so  soon  to  come  in  multitudes 
into  His  Church,  that  Jesus  was  touched  by  the  faith 
of  this  Roman  soldier. 

When  the  women  of  Jerusalem  saw  Him  led  out  to 
His  crucifixion,  bearing  His  cross  and  fainting  from 


1  Luke  vii.  37-46. 


9  Mat.  viii.  10, 


66 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


its  weight  and  the  abuse  He  had  received,  and,  being 
touched  with  compassion,  loudly  bewailed  and  la¬ 
mented  Him,  Jesus  recognized  their  pity,  and  added 
a  warning:  Daughters  of  Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  me , 
but  weep  for  yourselves  a?id  for  your  children. 1 2 3 

Jesus  recognized  with  pleasure  the  teachableness 
and  obedience  of  His  followers.  Ye  call  me  Master 
and  Lord ;  and  ye  say  well ;  for  so  I  am?  (“  Master  ” 
here  signifies  Teacher.  It  had  that  meaning  in  En¬ 
glish  when  our  translation  was  made,  and  occurs  often 
in  the  Gospels  in  this  sense).  Jesus  appreciated  also 
their  forsaking  all  and  following  Him.  When  Peter 
said,  Behold  we  have  forsaken  all  and  followed  thee, 
Jesus  replied  :  Ye  which  have  followed  me ,  in  the 
regeneration ,  when  the  Son  of  man  shall  sit  in  the 
throne  of  his  glory , ye  also  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones ? 
He  also  appreciated  their  love  :  The  Father  himself 
loveth  you  because  ye  have  loved  me. 4  He  appreciated 
their  knowledge  of  Him  as  the  Messiah  :  Blessed  art 
thou ,  Simon  Barjona  ;  for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  re¬ 
vealed  it  unto  thee ,  but  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven . 5 
Now  they  have  knovon  that  all  things  whatsoever  thou 
hast  given  me  are  of  thee. 6  For  I  have  given  unto 
them  the  words  which  thou  gavest  me  and  they  have 
received  them ,  and  have  known  surely  that  I  came  out 


1  Luke  xxiii.  28. 

2Johnxiii.  13.  Greek,  diddanalog,  teacher.  In  the  Gospels  it 
is  always  translated  Master,  except  in  two  cases. 

3  Mat.  xix.  28  ;  Luke  xxii.  28-30.  4  John  xvi.  27. 

6  Mat.  xvi.  1 7.  6  John  xvii.  7. 


THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS.  6? 

from  thee,  and  they  have  believed  that  thou  didst  send 
me.  1  All  this  caused  Him  joy. 

But  Jesus  also  saw  and  felt  the  defects,  weaknesses, 
and  sins  of  His  followers.  When  Peter  protested 
against  the  cruel  fate  which  Jesus  told  them  awaited 
Him,  and  said,  “Be  it  far  from  thee,  Lord:  this 
shall  not  be  unto  thee ;  ”  Jesus  turned  and  said 
unto  Peter :  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan  /  thou  art 
an  offence  unto  me  ;  for  thou  savour est  not  the  things 
that  be  of  God,  but  those  that  be  of  men. 2  Peter’s 
protest,  though  suggested  by  affection,  was  a  tempta¬ 
tion  to  self-indulgence  by  avoiding  the  baptism  of 
sorrow  and  suffering  that  was  before  Him.  It  was, 
therefore,  “an  offence,”  a  stumbling-block  in  his 
path  of  duty,  and  all  the  greater  for  being  placed 
there  by  a  friend.  Jesus  resisted  the  temptation  and 
rebuked  the  tempter. 

The  cowardice  of  His  disciples  also,  and  their  fail¬ 
ure  in  steadfastness  in  the  hour  of  danger,  went  to  His 
soul.  Just  before  He  went  to  Gethsemane  He  told 
them  :  Behold  the  hour  cometh  that  ye  shall  be  scattered 
every  man  to  his  own,  and  shall  leave  me  alone .1 2  3  All 
ye  shall  be  offended  because  of  me  this  night ;  for  it  is 
written  I  will  smite  the  Shepherd,  and  the  sheep  of  the 
flock  shall  be  scattered  abroad . 4  Peter  said  :  “  Though 
all  men  shall  be  offended,  yet  will  I  never  be  offended.” 


1  John  xvii.  8. 

2  Mat.  xvi.  23.  “  Savourest,”  Greek  < pgovelg  pyoviu),  thinkest 

of,  thinkest  much  of. 

3  John  xvi.  32. 


4  Mat.  xxvi.  31  ;  Mark  xiv.  27. 


68 


CHRIST  IIIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


How  must  Jesus  have  felt  the  sword  in  His  soul  as 
He  answered:  Verily  I  say  unto  thee  that  this  flight , 
before  the  cock  crow,  thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice. 1  Peter, 
James,  and  John  failed  Him  even  before  the  outside 
danger  came.  In  the  garden  He  took  these  three 
with  Him,  and  He  “  began  to  be  sorrowful  and  very 
heavy,’ ’  and  saying  to  them  :  Tarry  ye  here  and  zioatch 
with  me,  He  went  away  to  agonize  and  pray  alone. 
Three  times  He  went  and  three  times  He  returned 
for  their  sympathy  and  help,  only  to  find  them  asleep. 
Then  said  He  to  Peter,  feelingly,  but  not  bitterly: 
What!  could  ye  not  watch  with  me  one  hour?  He 
even  apologized  tenderly  for  their  failure  :  The  spirit 
indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak. 2 

To  such  experiences  with  friends  were  added  other 
experiences  with  ENEMIES.  Enemies  were  numerous, 
especially  at  Jerusalem,  and  they  were  bitter  and  act¬ 
ive,  and  powerful.  He  said  once  of  them  :  They  have 
not  known  the  Father  nor  me f  and  to  them:  I  am 
come  in  my  Father  s  name  and  ye  receive  me  not?  He 
felt  their  hatred,  and  well  understood  its  cause :  The 
world  cannot  hate  you ,  but  me  it  hateth,  because  I  tes¬ 
tify  of  it  that  the  zvorks  thereof  are  evil?  If  the  world 
hate  you,  ye  know  that  it  hated  me  before  it  hated  you? 
Because  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world ,  therefore 
the  zvorld  hateth  you ?  All  these  things  zvill  they  do 
unto  you  for  my  names  sake?  His  indignation  was 

JMat.  xxvi.  34  ;  Mark  xiv.  30  ;  Luke  xxii.  34  ;  John  xiii.  38. 

2  Mat.  xxvi.  37-45.  3  John  xvi.  3.  4 5  John  v.  43. 

5  John  vii.  7.  6  John  xv.  18.  7J°lm  xv.  19. 

8  John  xv.  21. 


THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS. 


69 


deeply  stirred  at  their  artful  plots  to  entrap  Him. 
To  a  party  who  came  to  entangle  Him  in  His  talk, 
He  answered  :  Why  tempt  ye  me, ye  hypocrites  ?  1  The 
vile  charge  that  He  had  a  devil,  He  repelled.  I  have 
not  a  devil ;  but  I  honor  my  Father ,  and  ye  do  dishonor 
meh  He  noticed  a  still  more  flagrant  charge  :  Ye  say 
that  I  cast  out  devils  by  Beelzebub }  and  further  that 
they  said  He  was  Himself  Beelzebub  :  If  they  have 
called  the  master  of  the  house  Beelzebub,  how  much  more 
them  of  his  household  f 4  He  was  fully  aware  of  their 
seeking  to  kill  Him  :  I  know  that  ye  are  Abraham  s 
seed ;  but  ye  seek  to  kill  me  because  my  word  hath  no 
place  in  you }  Why  go  ye  about  to  kill  me  f* * 6  In  the 
garden,  at  midnight,  they  came  upon  Him  and  took 
Him  and  bound  Him.  He  protested  against  the 
violence  and  outrage:  Are  ye  come  out  as  against  a 
thief,  with  swords  and  staves  for  to  take  me  ? 7  Deep¬ 
ly  felt  He  the  treachery  of  Judas.  At  the  passover- 
table  He  had  said  :  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  one  of 
you  shall  betray  me}  And  when  each  one  asked : 
Lord,  is  it  I?  Jesus  expressed  His  sense  of  the  per¬ 
fidy  of  the  deed  in  the  words :  He  that  dippeth  his 
hand  with  me  in  the  dish,  the  same  shall  betray  me} 
Prophecy  was  fulfilled  thereby,  and  Jesus  noted  it. 
But  that  the  Scripture  may  be  fulfilled,  he  that  eateth 

JMatt.  xxii.  18;  Mark  xii.  13-17;  Luke  xx.  25. 

2  John  viii.  49.  3  Luke  xi.  18.  4  Mat.  x.  25.  6  John  viii.  3 7. 

6  John  vii.  19.  7  Mat.  xxvi.  55  ;  Mark  xiv.  48,  49  ;  Luke  xxii.  52. 

8  Mat.  xxvi.  21  ;  Mark  xiv.  18. 

y  Mat.  xxvi.  23  ;  Mark  xiv.  20,  21  ;  Luke  xxii.  21. 


;o 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


bread  with  me  hath  lifted  up  his  heel  against  me}  He 
privately  indicated  to  Peter  and  John  the  guilty  one  : 
He  it  is  to  whom  I  shall  give  a  sop  when  I  have  dipped 
it .2  When  the  traitor  put  that  most  impudent  ques¬ 
tion  :  Master,  is  it  I  ?  imagine  Jesus’  feelings  as  He 
replied,  quietly*:  Thou  hast  said ,  that  is,  It  is  even 
so.3  In  the  garden,  as  the  treacherous  kiss  was 
given,  what  thorough  appreciation  of  it  was  disclosed 
in  His  answer  to  Judas’  salutation:  Friend ,  wherefore 
art  thou  come?  Betrayest  thou  the  Son  of  man  with  a 
kiss f4  Before  the  Jewish  court,  He  felt  that  the 
rights  even  of  a  criminal  had  been  violated  when  one 
of  the  officers  struck  Him  for  refusing  to  bear  testi¬ 
mony  against  Himself :  If  I  have  spoke7i  evil,  bear  wit- 
ness  of  the  evil:  but  if  well,  why  smite st  thou  me ? 5 6 
Then,  in  order  to  find  matter  for  condemnation,  the 
council  asked  Him:  Art  thou  the  Christ?  Jesus  first 
protested  against  the  injustice  of  the  question  and  its 
malicious  object,  and  then  answered  it  affirmatively: 
If  I  tell  you  ye  will  not  believe  ;  and  if  I  also  ask  you 
ye  will  not  answer  me  nor  let  me  go.  Hereafter  shall 
the  Son  of  man  sit  on  the  right  hand  of  the  power  of 
God?  Finally,  what  a  deep  sense  of  the  wrong  He 
suffered,  is  expressed,  together  with  unparalleled  self- 
sacrifice,  in  His  prayer  on  the  cross:  Father,  forgive 
them  ;  for  they  know  not  what  they  do  !  7 

1  John  xiii.  18  ;  Psalm  xli.  9.  2  John  xiii.  26. 

3  Mat.  xxvi.  25,  Greek,  <n>  elnag.  So  Mat.  xxvi.  64.  See  p.  33, 

Note  6. 

4  Mat.  xxvi.  50,  and  Luke  xxii.  48. 

6  Luke  xxii.  67,  68. 


6  John  xviii.  23. 

7  Luke  xxiik.34. 


THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS. 


71 


35.  OTHER  EXPERIENCES  OF  JOY  AND  SORROW  HAV¬ 
ING  THEIR  OCCASION  DIRECTLY  IN  HIS  GREAT 

WORK. 

First,  of  joy.  Jesus,  though  a  man  of  sorrows,  had 
his  moments  and  experiences  of  joy.  But  this  joy 
was  never  selfish ;  it  was  excited  only  at  the  sight  of 
men  coming  to  the  knowledge  of  life  through  Him. 
When,  at  the  well  of  Samaria,  He  refused,  though 
hungry,  to  eat,  His  replies  :  I  have  meat  to  cat  which 
ye  know  not  of,  and  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  his  work /  show  how  great 
joy  His  inmost  soul  felt  in  doing  good  to  men.  Just 
so  when  the  disciples  returned  from  their  tour  of 
preaching  and  working  miracles,  and  reported  their 
success,  Jesus,  rejoicing  at  their  faith,  at  the  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  Gospel  spread  among  the  people,  and  at 
the  beginning  of  the  downfall  of  Satan’s  kingdom, 
broke  out  in  triumph  and  thankfulness  :  I  beheld  Satan 
as  lightning  fall  from  heaven.  And  in  that  hour  Jesus 
rejoiced  in  spirit,  and  said:  I  thank  thee,  O  Father, 
Lord  of  heavc7i  and  earth,  that  thou  hast  hid  these 
things  from  the  zvise  and  prudent,  and  hast  revealed 
tTicm  unto  babes :  even  so,  Father ,  for  so  it  seemed  good 
in  thy  sight.1 

Certain  Greeks  (Gentiles)  had  come  up  with  Jews 
to  the  passover  feast  (the  last  passover  in  Jesus’  life), 
and  expressed  a  wish  to  see  Jesus.  They  applied  to 
Philip  to  secure  for  them  an  interview,  and  Philip 


1  John  iv.  32,  34. 


2  Luke  x.  18-21  ;  Mat.  xi.  25. 


72 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  W1  TN ESS. 


with  Andrew  brought  their  request  to  the  Master. 
To  Him,  familiar  with  God’s  plans  and  purposes  of 
grace,  these  few  Greeks  were  an  earnest  of  the  incom¬ 
ing  of  the  Gentile  world  into  the  Gospel  church.  The 
future  was  at  once  all  before  His  eye  ;  the  few  are  soon 
to  be  many ;  the  door  is  to  be  thrown  wide-open  and 
to  be  filled  with  the  throngs  of  men  pressing  in. 
Filled  with  serene  joy,  Jesus  cried  :  The  hour  is  come 
that  the  Son  of  man  should  be  glorified.  Verily,  verily 
I  say  unto  you,  except  a  corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the 
ground  a?id  die,  it  abideth  alone  :  but  if  it  die,  it  bring- 
eth  forth  much  fruit }  It  was  one  of  those  moments 
when  He  “  saw  (foresaw)  of  the  travail  of  His  soul 
and  was  satisfied.” 

When,  being  at  a  distance  from  Bethany,  the  home 
of  Lazarus  and  his  sisters,  Jesus  told  His  disciples 
plainly,  Lazarus  is  dead,  He  added :  A?id  I  am  glad 
for  your  sakes  that  I  zvas  7iot  there  to  the  intent  ye  may 
believe ?  Their  witnessing  the  restoration  of  Lazarus 
to  life  would  greatly  strengthen  their  faith  in  Him¬ 
self,  and  so  prepare  them  for  the  terrible  trials  soon 
to  come  upon  them,  and  also  enable  them  more  read¬ 
ily  to  believe  in  His  own  resurrection. 

At  the  head  of  the  pass  over-table,  with  His  disci¬ 
ples  around  Him,  the  night  before  His  crucifixion, 
He  said:  With  desire  I  have  desired  to  eat  this  pass- 
over  with  you  before  I  suffer?  He  had,  as  the  words 
show,  been  looking  to  this  occasion  with  great  inter¬ 
est.  The  reasons  are  plain:  His  whole  heart  went 


1  John  xii.  23,  24. 


2  John  xi.  14,  15. 


8  Luke  xxii.  15, 


THE  EAR  THL  Y  LIFE  OF  JESUS. 


73 


out  in  strong  feeling  toward  His  disciples,  so  soon  to 
be  left  alone ;  and  toward  the  observances  of  that 
hour,  unique  and  important  in  His  own  history  and 
that  of  His  Church,  when,  namely,  the  LAST  VALID 
PASSOVER  was  to  be  observed,  an  old  rite  then  so 
soon  to  “  be  fulfilled”  in  the  offering  of  Himself  its 
great  antitype  ;  and  when  THE  Lord’s  SUPPER  was  to 
be  instituted,  the  memorial  of  His  own  offering,  and 
the  great  sacrament  of  the  new  Dispensation,  destined 
to  endure  to  the  end  of  time ;  when  also  He  was  to 
have  His  last  opportunity  of  talking  at  length  with  His 
disciples,  the  only  opportunity  left  for  giving  His  last 
instructions,  His  affectionate  counsels  and  consola¬ 
tions,  and  the  precious  promise  of  the  Spirit,  and  for 
closing  His  career  as  Teacher  with  that  heavenly  high- 
priestly  prayer.  No  wonder  that  it  was  with  desire 
He  desired  to  eat  that  passover,  and  have  that  inter¬ 
view.  During  its  swiftly- passing  hours  He  expe¬ 
rienced  that  deep  and  sweet  satisfaction  which 
breathes  so  strongly  throughout  all  His  words,  and 
which  only  the  truest  self-sacrificing  love  can  feel. 

Jesus  speaks  also  of  having  a  still  deeper  and 
higher  joy — the  joy  ineffable  derived  from  the  pres¬ 
ence  and  love  of  the  Father.  This  supported  Him 
when  earthly  resources  failed  Him.  He  says  :  And 
he  that  sent  me  is  with  me :  the  Father  hath  not  left 
me  alone ;  for  I  do  always  those  things  that  please 
him. 1  We  remember  the  testimony  of  the  Father 
from  heaven :  “  This  is  my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I 


1  John  viii.  29. 
A 


74 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


am  well  pleased.”  It  was  richly  fulfilled  in  Jesus1 
life -experience.  Again  He  says:  Behold,  the  hour 
cometh,  yea ,  is  now  come ,  that  ye  shall  be  scattered 
every  man  to  his  own,  and  shall  leave  me  alone  :  and 
yet  I  am  not  alone,  because  the  Father  is  with  me } 

We  learn  thus  from  Jesus’  lips  that  during  His 
earthly  life  He  was  not  a  stranger  to  joy.  He 
rejoiced  in  making  efforts  to  save  men,  and  especially 
in  seeing  those  efforts  successful ;  in  seeing  Satan’s 
kingdom  weakened  and  His  own  established  ;  in  the 
spread  of  His  Gospel  among  men  ;  in  every  event  by 
which  the  knowledge,  faith,  and  courage  of  His  fol¬ 
lowers  were  increased  and  strengthened  ;  in  His 
affectionate  intercourse  with  His  disciples ;  in  ob¬ 
serving  the  ordinances  of  religion  with  them  ;  in 
instructing  and  comforting  them,  and  leaving  them 
in  the  care  of  the  Spirit ;  and  finally  in  that,  of  which 
we  creatures  can  speak,  but  not  conceive,  yet  which 
Jesus  had  constant  experience  of  through  life,  except 
a  little  while  on  the  cross,  namely,  loving  communion 
with  the  Father. 

36.  EXPERIENCES  OF  DISTRESS  AND  SORROW  WHICH 
HAD  THEIR  SOURCE  DIRECTLY  IN  THE  GREAT 
WORK  HE  WAS  FULFILLING — ANTICIPATION  OF 
THE  CROSS. 

Jesus  had  not  entered  blindly  on  His  great  mission. 
Fie  knew  beforehand  all  that  it  involved  in  the  way 
of  suffering ;  and  the  sad  anticipation  lay  often  as  a 


1  John  xvi.  32. 


THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS. 


7  5 


great  burden  on  His  soul.  This  fact  came  out  during 
the  course  of  His  ministry  when  He  said:  I  have  a 
baptism  to  be  baptized  with,  and  how  am  I  straitened 
till  it  be  accomplished.1  He  meant  THE  BAPTISM  OF 
SORROW  which  His  office  of  Saviour  brought  with  it. 
It  was  in  view  of  this  He  said  :  “  How  am  I  straitened 
till  it  be  over.”  These  words  disclose  an  inward  history 
of  sad  anticipation  underlying  His  life  of  benevolent 
toil,  and  brought  up  afresh  by  every  incident  sad  or 
joyful.  Often,  doubtless,  it  went  through  Him  with 
a  silent  pang,  none  knowing  of  it,  not  even  John 
lying  on  His  bosom. 

This  fact  comes  out  again  where  James  and  John, 
led  on  by  their  mother,  and  filled  with  magnificent 
expectations  in  regard  to  His  coming  kingdom,  ask 
Him  that  they  may  be  the  chief  men  in  that  king¬ 
dom  and  hold  the  highest  places  of  honor.  The 
worldly  and  selfish  spirit  of  these  dear  disciples  was 
painful  to  Him,  as  was  a  like  spirit  in  Peter,  before 
mentioned.  But  there  was  another  source  of  sadness. 
He  saw  clearly  that  which  they  did  not  anticipate, 
and  which  had  offended  Peter,  namely,  that  the  com¬ 
ing  of  His  kingdom,  its  success  and  glory,  must  have, 
as  preceding  conditions,  a  course  of  suffering  and 
sorrow  on  their  part,  and  especially  on  His,  to  be 
ended  in  His  case  by  a  violent  and  atoning  death. 
When  they  therefore  came  to  Him  with  their  miser¬ 
able  petition,  His  mind  reverted  at  once  to  those 
nearer  and  darker  events,  and  He  said  :  “  Ye  know 


1  Luke  xii.  50. 


;6 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


not  zvhat  ye  ask .  Are  ye  able  to  drink  of  the  cup  that 
I  shall  drink  of,  and  to  be  baptized  with  the  baptism 
that  I  am  baptized  with  ?  And  when  they  said, 
“  We  are  able/’  he  added  :  “  Ye  shall  drink  mdeed 
of  my  cup  and  be  baptized  with  the  baptism  that  I 
am  baptized  with /  The  cup  means  the  same  as  the 
baptism,  and  that  the  baptism  of  suffering  and  sor¬ 
row  already  mentioned.  That  was  before  His  mind. 
He  knew  that  the  first  place  in  the  kingdom  was  His 
own  only  by  His  being  chief  in  the  sufferings. 

On  still  another  occasion,  which  we  have  already 
noticed  as  one  of  joy,  when  certain  Greeks  (Gentiles) 
were  brought  to  Him  by  Andrew  and  Philip,  Jesus 
at  first  rejoiced,  as  at  the  beginning  of  the  ingathering 
of  the  Gentiles  ;  but  His  mind  soon  turned  to  sadder 
prospects,  namely,  to  the  events  that  must  intervene 
before  that  joyful  result.  Referring  to  Himself  and 
His  death,  He  said  :  Except  a  corn  of  wheat  fall  into 
the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone  ;  but  if  it  die,  it 
bringcth  forth  much  fruit  '}  At  this  anticipation  of 
His  death,  although  connected  with  a  view  of  its 
joyful  result,  His  soul  quailed,  for  it  was  not  ordinary 
death  that  awaited  Him.  Now  is  my  soul  troubled: 
and  zvhat  shall  I  say  ?  Father ,  save  me  from  this 
hour.  But  for  this  cause  came  I  unto  this  hour. 

Father,  glorify  thy  name. 3  This  case  may  help  us 

/ 

1  Mat.  xx.  20-23  ;  Mark  x.  35-40.  2  John  xii.  24. 

3 John  xii.  27,  28.  Some  translate  interrogatively,  ‘‘What 
shall  I  say?  Father,  save  me  from  this  hour?  But/’  etc.  But 
this  is  not  so  simple  a  translation,  inasmuch  as  the  second  inter¬ 
rogation  is  thereby  made  the  object  of  the  first :  “  Shall  I  say, 


THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS. 


77 


to  understand  the  nature  of  the  feelings  which  He 
described  by  the  words  already  quoted :  How  am  I 
straitened  till  it  (my  baptism  of  sorrow)  be  accom¬ 
plished. 

But  the  conflict  of  anticipation  was  severest  of  all 
and  lasted  longest  in  Gethsemane.  It  came  mightily 
upon  Him  in  that  midnight  hour,  just  before  His  sur¬ 
render  into  the  hands  of  His  enemies  ;  and  He  with¬ 
drew  to  pray.  He  said  to  Peter,  James  and  John, 
whom  He  had  taken  to  be  with  Him  apart  from  the 
rest :  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful  even  unto  death.*  1 
Going  a  short  distance  from  these,  for  an  hour  He 
struggled  and  prayed  :  Abba,  Father,  all  things  are 
possible  unto  thee  :  take  away  this  cup  from  me .2 3  We 
must  allow  these  words  to  express  what  they  really 
mean.  Jesus  prayed  to  be  released  from  the  dreadful 
burden  which  He  had  assumed  as  the  Messiah  and 
the  Saviour  of  men.  We  may  perhaps  understand  it 
as  the  shrinking,  the  giving  way  of  His  human  nature 
in  the  near  prospect  of  the  dreadful  atoning  sacrifice 
which  He  was  to  make.  Each  time,  indeed,  with  a 
true  heart,  faithful  both  to  God  and  man,  He  added : 
Nevertheless  not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done?  Yet  this 

Father,  save  me,”  etc.  Nor  is  it  as  strong  as  if  we  understand 
it  a  direct  prayer,  “Father,  save  me  from  this  hour.”  Thus 
understood,  the  words  show  just  such  a  struggle  as  that  in 
Gethsemane  (where  Jesus  prayed,  “  Let  this  cup  pass  from  me  ”), 
although  in  the  present  case  the  struggle  was  neither  so  intense 
nor  so  protracted  as  in  that. 

1  Mat.  xxvi.  38  ;  Mark  xiv.  34. 

2  Mark  xiv.  36  ;  Mat.  xxvi.  39  ;  Luke  xxii.  42. 

3  Luke  xxii.  42  ;  Mat.  xxvi.  39  ;  Mark  xiv.  36. 


73 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


act  of  acquiescence  in  the  will  of  God  did  not  at  first 
restore  and  calm  Him.  His  soul  was  appalled.  The 
struggle  was  continued  and  intensified,  and  so  was 
the  distress  ;  so  that  life  would  have  gone  out  under 
it,1  but  that  there  appeared  an  angel  from  heaven 
(sent  by  the  loving  Father!)  strengthening  Him. 2 
Then  supernaturally  assisted,  His  struggle  surpassed 
all  mortal  experience  and  conception.  “  His  sweat 
was  as.  it  were  great  drops  of  blood  falling  down  to 
the  ground.”3  After  some  time,  having  gone  and 
sought  help  in  vain  from  the  three  disciples  (they 
were  asleep — another  weight  to  His  burden  of  woe), 
He  withdrew  again  to  pray  alone,  and  said  :  O  my 
Father ,  if  this  cup  may  not  pass  away  fro?n  me  except 
I  drink  it,  thy  will  be  done l  We  notice  here  a  change 
in  the  form  of  the  prayer,  indicating  a  difference  in  the 
mental  state.  There  is  still  desire  that  the  cup  of 
woe  may  pass  ;  but  that  desire  is  now  expressed  only 
conditionally.  Before,  it  was  put  directly  and  abso¬ 
lutely:  Let  this  cup  pass  ;  now,  conditionally,  and  with 
a  probability  that  it  will  not  pass  away ;  while  the 
direct  expression  of  feeling  is  that  of  submissive  ac¬ 
quiescence  even  in  that  case  :  “  If  it  may  not  pass,  thy 
will  be  done.”  And  when  He  went  away  the  third 
time  “  and  prayed  the  same  words,”  the  feeling  of 
filial  acceptance  of  the  will  of  God,  even  if  that  in¬ 
volved  the  drinking  of  the  cup  to  the  dregs,  obtained 
the  upper  hand  decidedly,  and  there  was  little  or  no 


1  Mat.  xxvi.  38  ;  Mark  xiv.  34. 

3  Luke  xxii.  44. 


2  Luke  xxii.  43. 
4  Mat.  xxvi.  42. 


THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS. 


79 


insisting  on  the  condition.  He  accepts  the  cup  bit¬ 
ter  as  it  is,  and  becomes  fixed  and  calm  in  his  resolve 
to  give  His  life  a  ransom  for  many.  He  has  sus¬ 
tained  the  conflict  and  conquered.  The  distress  of 
anticipation  has  passed  entirely  away,  and  now,  serene 
and  without  flinching,  He  goes  back  to  His  still 
sleeping  disciples  no  more  needing  their  help  ;  meets 
and  yields  to  His  captors,  His  accusers,  His  abusers  ; 
stands  calm  before  His  judges ;  witnesses  a  good 
confession,  and  is  nailed  to  the  cross. 

The  experiences  of  the  cross  (“  He  bore  our  sins 
in  his  own  body  on  the  tree  ” *)  are  indescribable, 
and,  by  us,  inconceivable.  All  that  Jesus  meant 
when  He  uttered  those  words  :  My  God ,  my  God , 
why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ? 2  can  be  known  only  to 
Himself  and  to  God.  The  sufferings  of  the  flesh 
were  united  with  the  sufferings  of  the  spirit.  The 
nature  of  these  last  must  be  inferred,  if  we  may 
understand  them  at  all,  from  the  Old  Testament 
words  which  He  used.  The  Father’s  gracious  pres¬ 
ence  He  had  always  hitherto  experienced  and  rejoiced 
in.  That  was  now  withdrawn  from  Him,  as  He  bore 
our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  tree.  Toward  the 
close  of  His  soul-struggles,  His  bodily  anguish  also 
reached  its  acme  and  extorted  the  words  I  thirst ? 
A  little  vinegar  moistened  and  soothed  His  parched 
tongue  for  a  moment.* 4  He  was  able  at  last,  looking 
back  on  His  whole  work,  to  say  :  It  is  finished d  He 


1 1  Pet.  ii.  24. 

3  John  xix.  28. 


2  Mat.  xxvii.  46  ;  Mark  xv.  34. 

4  John  xix.  28,  29.  5J°lm  xix.  30. 


8o 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


looked  up  and  said  :  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend 
my  spirit /  and  then  breathed  out  His  soul.  He  died 
“ giving  His  life  a  ransom  for  many."  2 

37.  JESUS  AFTER  HIS  DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION. 

Jesus  on  the  cross  said  to  the  penitent  thief :  To¬ 
day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise?  After  His 
resurrection  He  appeared  to  Mary  Magdalene,  when 
His  single  word  “ Mary"  revealed  Him  to  her.4 *  He 
spoke  also  of  His  ascent  to  heaven  :  I  am  not  yet 

ascended  to  my  Father . I  ascend  unto  my  Father 

and  your  Father :  and  to  my  God  and  your  God?  He 
spoke  from  heaven  to  Saul  of  Tarsus  :  Why persecutest 

thou  me . I  am  Jesus  whom  thou  persecutest ? 

He  appeared  to  John  in  Patmos  and  said  :  I  am  he 
that  liveth  and  zvas  dead,  and  behold  I  am  alive  for¬ 
evermore? 

Thus  Jesus’  life  on  the  earth  was  exchanged  for  an 
Eternal  Life  in  Glory. 

The  notices  by  Jesus  of  His  life  and  life’s  experi¬ 
ences,  incidental  and  fragmentary  as  they  are,  are 
very  suggestive  and  deeply  interesting.  It  is  a  proof 
of  their  authenticity  that  as  the  words  of  the  subject 
Himself,  they  tell  much  more  of  the  INNER  life  of 
Jesus  than  the  much  longer  narratives  of  the  Evan¬ 
gelists.  They  thus  give  more  meaning  and  emphasis 
to  the  outward  incidents,  and  constitute,  therefore,  a 
very  important  means  of  understanding  and  appreci¬ 
ating  the  Earthly  Life  of  the  Messiah. 

1  Luke  xxiii.  46.  2  Mat.  xx.  28.  3  Luke  xxiii.  43. 

4  John  xx.  16.  6  John  xx.  17.  6  Acts  ix.  4,  5. 

7  Rev.  i.  18.  See  more  on  this  topic.  §  41,  p.  93. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS. 

38.  HUMAN  TRAITS  OF  CHARACTER  IN  JESUS. 

We  come  to  those  words  of  Jesus  which  present 
His  traits  of  Character  and  the  Attributes  which  He 
claimed  and  displayed.  We  will  begin  with  those 
traits  which,  as  they  may  belong  to  a  man,  may  be 
called  HUMAN,  and  then  pass  to  qualities  and  attri¬ 
butes  which  are  SUPERHUMAN. 

And  first,  negatively  :  What  He  denied  concern¬ 
ing  Himself. 

He  denied  that  He  made  SELF  His  end  or  His 
independent  will  His  law  of  action.  The  Son  of  man 
came  not  to  be  ministered  unto ,  lout  to  minister }  I  seek 
not  mine  own  will ,  but  the  will  of  the  Father  which 
hath  sent  me.  And  I  seek  not  mine  own  glory.2  On  this 
point,  too,  He  gave  a  criterion  for  judging  both  Him 
and  all  who  are  agents  commissioned  to  do  any  work : 
He  that  seeketh  his  glory  that  sent  him ,  the  same  is 
true,  and  there  is  710  unrighteousness  in  him?  The  im¬ 
plication  is  that  there  was  in  Himself  no  falsehood, 
no  unrighteousness. 

Jesus  also  declared  that  He  HAD  NO  COMMON 

1  Mat.  xx.  28  ;  Mark  x.  45.  2  John  v.  30  ;  viii.  50. 

3  John  vii.  18. 

(81) 


82 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


OBJECT  OR  INTEREST  WITH  Satan  ;  and  therefore 
no  relations  with  him  of  association  or  united  action. 
The  two  were  not  friends,  but  enemies.  I  have  not  a 
devil.  The  prince  of  this  world  comet h  and  hath  noth¬ 
ing  in  me?  From  the  fact  that  He  cast  out  devils, 
He  argued  at  length  that  He  did  not  do  it  by  the  aid 
of  the  devil :  Every  kingdom  divided  against  itself  is 
brought  to  desolation ,  and  every  city  or  house  divided 
against  itself  shall  7iot  stand.  And  if  Satan  cast  out 
Satan  he  is  divided  against  himself :  how  then  shall 
his  kingdom  stand?  And  if  I  by  Beelzebub  cast  out 
devils ,  by  whom  do  your  children  cast  them  out  ? 3  Each 
interrogation  here  is  a  denial  of  the  charge.  He 
illustrated  His  hostile  relations  to  Satan  in  His  work 
of  casting  out  devils  by  an  apt  comparison  with  the 
forcible  capture  of  a  well-defended  house  :  Or  else 
how  can  one  enter  into  a  strong  man  s  house  and  spoil 
his  goods ,  except  he  first  bind  the  strong  man  ?  and 
then  he  will  spoil  his  house}  Here  the  strong  man  is 
Satan  ;  Jesus  is  the  attacking  and  conquering  enemy 
binding  His  overpowered  foe  ;  and  the  bodies  and 
souls  of  men  before  possessed  by  Satan  are  the  spoils 
taken.  Such,  Jesus  gave  men  to  understand,  were 
the  relations  existing  between  Himself  and  the  devil. 

Jesus  also  claimed  to  be  FREE  FROM  SIN,  both  in 
word  and  action.  He  said  with  a  reference  to  Himself : 
He  that  seeketh  his  glory  that  sent  him ,  The  same  is 
true  and  there  is  no  unrighteousness  in  him }  As  He  was 

1  John  viii.  49.  2 3 4  John  xiv.  30. 

3  Mat.  xii.  24-27  ;  Mark  iii.  23-26;  Luke  xi.  17-22. 

4  Same  passages.  6  John  vii.  18. 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  83 


led  to  execution,  He  said  :  If  they  do  these  things  in 
the  green  tree ,  what  shall  be  done  in  the  dry  ? 1  By  the 
green  tree,  not  easily  burned,  He  meant  Himself  as 
free  from  guilt,  in  contrast  with  the  people  who  were 
crucifying  Him,  who  were  the  dry  tree,  richly  deserv¬ 
ing  and  about  to  experience  the  severest  punishment. 
Compare  for  illustration  His  words  spoken  in  the  same 
connection  :  Daughters  of  Jerusalem ,  weep  not  for  me , 
but  weep  for  yourselves  and  for  your  children .2  He  said 
to  the  J  ews  :  Many  good  works  have  I  si  wived  you  from 
my  Father :  for  which  of  those  works  do  ye  stone  me  ? 3 
This  word  has  its  negative  side,  and  was  intended  to 
be  a  denial  of  every  deed  deserving  punishment.  If 
they  punished  Him  it  must  be  for  a  good  deed. 
Again  :  I  know  him  (God)  .*  and  if  I  should  say  I  know 
him  not  I  shall  be  a  liar  like  unto  you} 

Jesus  challenged  any  charge  against  Himself  of 
misdeed  :  Which  of  you  convinceth  me  (proves  me 
guilty)  of  sin  ? 5  If  I  have  done  evil ,  bear  witness  of 
the  evil }  This  is  a  denial  and  a  challenge  at  the  same 
time.  He  found  therefore  in  His  case  a  fulfillment 
of  prophecy  ;  This  cometh  to  pass  that  the  word  might 
be  fulfilled  that  is  written  in  their  law :  They  hated 
me  without  a  cause l 

Second,  Let  us  attend  to  what  Jesus  maintained 
affirmatively  concerning  His  moral  and  religious 
character. 

As  He  denied  everything  evil,  so  He  affirmed  that 

1  Luke  xxiii.  31.  2  Luke  23  :  28.  3  John  x.  32. 

4  John  viii.  55.  6  John  viii.  46.  6  John  xviii.  23. 

7  John  xv.  25  ;  Psalm  lxix.  4. 


84 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


which  is  good.  He  claimed  the  qualities  of  meekness 
and  humility :  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart }  He 
showed  indirectly  that  His  rule  of  action  was  the 
great  rule  of  right.  His  argument  to  John  to  bap¬ 
tize  Him  was:  Thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  right¬ 
eousness ?  He  claimed  the  trait  of  truthfulness :  If  I 
say  the  truth ,  why  do  ye  not  believe  me  ? 3 4  He  that  seek- 
eth  his  glory  that  sent  him  (His  own  case),  the  same  is 
true}  To  this  end  was  I  born ,  and  for  this  cause  came 
I  into  the  world  that  I  should  bear  witness  unto  the 
truth ?  He  spoke  what  was  right  and  good  :  If  I  have 
spoken  well  (implying  that  He  had),  why  smitest  thou 
me  ? 6  Many  good  works  have  I  showed  you 1  (deeds  of 
kindness  to  the  suffering). 

He  was  thoughtful  of  the  liabilities  of  man  to 
suffering,  compassionate  and  prompt  in  acts  of  mercy  : 
I  have  compassion  on  the  multitude  because  they  con¬ 
tinue  with  me  now  three  days  and  have  nothing  to 
eat ;  and  I  will  not  send  them  away  fasting ,  lest 

they  faint  in  the  way . How  many  loaves 

have  ye?  Make  the  men  sit  down?  And  then  He 
multiplied  the  seven  loaves  and  the  few  fishes  into 
a  sufficiency  for  the  hungry  thousands.  At  another 
time  His  compassion  was  directed  upon  the  spir¬ 
itual  wants  of  the  people.  They  fainted  and  were 
scattered  abroad  as  sheep  having  no  shepherd.  He 
said  :  The  harvest  tndy  is  great ,  but  the  laborers  are 
few .  Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that 

1  Mat.  xi.  29.  2  Mat.  iii.  15.  3  John  viii.  46. 

4  John  vii.  18.  5  John  xviii.  37.  6Johnxviii  23, 

7  John  x.  32.  8  Mat.  xv.  32,  34  ;  Mark  viii.  2  ;  John  vi  5. 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  85 


he  would  send  forth  laborers  into  his  harvest ?  As  to 
H  is  disinterested  interest  for  other  men,  and  His  self- 
denying  efforts  in  their  behalf,  His  whole  life,  and  es¬ 
pecially  His  life  with  His  disciples  was  a  constant  il¬ 
lustration  :  I  am  among  yo7i  as  he  that  serveth ?  /, 

your  Lord  and  Master ,  have  washed  your  feet?  The 
Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto ,  but  to  min¬ 
ister  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many?  The 
Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was 
lost? 

Having  such  traits  of  character  in  reference  to  men, 
what  was  He  toward  God?  In  regard  to  this  highest 
part  of  religion — right  feeling  and  action  toward  God 
— Jesus  said  of  Himself:  I  love  the  Father?  I  honor 
my  Father?  At  twelve  years  He  said :  Wist  ye  not 
that  I  must  be  about  my  Father  s  business  ? 8  His  rule 
of  action  was  God’s  command :  I  must  preach  the 
kingdom  of  God  to  other  cities  also ,  for  therefore  am  / 
sent?  I  must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me 
while  it  is  day?0  I  seek  7iot  mine  own  will ,  but  the  will 
of  him  that  sent  me?x  His  sufficient  reason  for  doing 
or  not  doing  any  particular  thing  was,  It  is  written  :  12 
i.  e.,  commanded  in  the  Bible.  He  could  say:  My 
meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish 
his  work / 13  and,  I  do  always  those  things  that  please 

1  Mat.  ix.  36-38  ;  Luke  x.  2.  2  Luke  xxii.  27.  3  J°hn  xiii.  14. 

4  Mat.  xx.  28  ;  Mark  x.  45.  5  Luke  xix.  10  ;  Mat.  xviii.  1 1. 

6Johnxiv.  31. *  7  John.  viii.  49.  8 9  Luke  ii.  49. 

9  Luke  iv.  43.  10  John  ix.  4.  11  John  v.  30. 

12  Mat.  iv.  4,  7,  10  ;  Luke  iv.  2-12.  13  John  iv.  34. 


86 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


% 

him }  At  the  end  of  His  life  He  declared  :  I  have 
kept  my  Father  s  commandments ,  and  abide  in  his  love  ;2 
and  speaking  directly  to  God,  I  have  finished  the  work 
that  thou  gavest  me  to  do?  Speaking  from  heaven 
through  His  servant  John,  He  said  :  These  things  saith 
he  that  is  holy ,  he  that  is  true? 

If  then  we  ask:  How  did  Jesus  fill  the  place  of  a 
man,  bound  to  love  God  supremely  and  His  neigh¬ 
bor  as  Himself,  we  get  an  answer  from  His  own  words 
in  its  substance  as  follows : 

Jesus  denied  that  He  acted  from  selfish  motives  or 
sought  His  own  glory.  He  declared  that  there  was  no 
falsehood  or  unrighteousness  in  Him;  that  He  was 
not  in  league  with  Satan,  but  irreconcilably  opposed 
to  him ;  and  He  challenged  all  who  saw,  heard,  and 
knew  Him  to  fasten  a  crime  or  a  sin  or  even  a  wrong 
word  upon  Him. 

He  claimed  to  be  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  com¬ 
passionate  and  kind :  declared  that  He  came  to  serve 
men  and  not  to  be  served  by  them;  that  He  was 
acting  for  them,  living  for  them,  and  expected  to  die 
for  them;  that  His  rule  of  conduct  was  the  rule  of 
right ;  that  He  loved  God,  honored  God,  obeyed  the 
law  and  commandments  of  God ;  that  He  always 
pleased  God,  and,  at  last,  that  He  had  finished  the 
work  that  God  had  given  Him  to  do.  And  His  life 
testifies  to  all  that  He  said. 

Note  here,  that  in  all  these  numerous  declarations 


1  John  viii.  29. 
3  John  xvii.  4. 


2  John  xv.  10. 
4  Rev,  iii,  7. 


CHA RA  C TER  A ND  A  T TRIE  UTES  OF  JESUS .  g 7 

showing  His  moral  and  religious  principles  and  con¬ 
duct,  Jesus  made  not  one  admission  of  fault  in  Him¬ 
self.  Only  an  apparent  exception  to  this  is  His  reply  to 
the  young  man  who  asked  what  good  thing  he  should 
do  in  order  to  inherit  eternal  life  (Mat.  xix.  16,  17; 
Mark  x.  17,  18;  Luke  xviii.  18,  19).  At  the  first 
glance  it  would  seem  that  Jesus  in  these  words  de¬ 
nies  both  His  divinity  and  His  goodness.  But  let  us 
look  more  closely.  First,  we  are  not  helped  by  the 
other  reading  of  Matthew’s  text  preferred  by  some, 
according  to  which  Jesus  is  made  to  say :  Why  asketh 
thou  me  CONCERNING  THE  GOOD,  ^ repl  tov  ayaOov  ;  (con¬ 
cerning  Him  WHO  is  good,  or  THAT  WHICH  is  good). 
Such  a  reply  from  Jesus  in  rejoinder  to  the  question, 
“  Good  Master,  what  good  thing  shall  I  do  that  I  may 
have  eternal  life  ?”  would  imply  something  wrong  in  the 
SUBJECT-MATTER  of  the  inquiry  ;  as  if  the  young  man 
should  not  have  asked  about  that.  But  what  wrong 
could  there  be  in  an  inquiry  of  that  kind  ?  Moreover, 
Jesus’  next  words  are  neither  a  demonstration  nor  a 
correction  of  the  wrong  in  such  a  question.  But  they 
are  a  correction  of  the  epithet  “  good,”  which  the  young 
man  had  applied  to  Him.  Besides,  Jesus  immediately 
proceeds  to  answer  the  inquirer’s  question  :  “  If  thou 
wilt  enter  into  life,”  etc.  He  could  not  then  have  in¬ 
tended  to  rebuke  him  for  asking  it.  This  proposed 
reading  is  therefore  inconsistent  with  the  rest  of  the 
account  as  given  by  Matthew  himself,  and  makes  the 
whole  unmeaning.  Again,  if  this  be  taken  as  the  true 
reading  in  Matthew  there  is  an  essential  and  irre¬ 
concilable  disagreement  between  the  evangelists  in 


88 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WAT  WITNESS 


their  accounts  of  the  conversation  :  and  with  this  new 
difficulty  in  Matthew’s  account,  the  original  difficul¬ 
ties  remain  in  that  of  Mark  and  Luke.  Their  ac¬ 
count  is  at  least  consistent  with  itself.  Does  Jesus 
then  object  to  be  called  good?  The  strict  answer  is: 
Yes;  He  objects  to  be  so  called  in  the  compli¬ 
mentary  way  of  address  used  by  His  visitor.  He 
elsewhere  rebukes  the  scribes  and  lawyers  for  loving 
greetings  in  the  markets  and  to  be  called  of  men 
Rabbi,  Rabbi.  He  enjoins  His  followers,  Call  no  man 
father  upon  earth  ;  for  one  is  your  Father  which  is 
in  heaven.  Neither  be  ye  called  Masters  (Greek 
rcadriyrjTaL,  leaders,  guides,  teachers),  for  one  is  your 
Master  even  Christ  (Mat.  xxiii.  7-1 1).  Precisely  so 
here  He  rejects  for  Himself  one  of  these  compliment¬ 
ary,  honorary  phrases,  when  given  to  Him  just  as  it 
would  have  been  given  to  any  other  of  their  teachers. 
He  sets  His  people,  His  ministers  an  example.  He 
rejects  the  title  here  for  the  same  reason  that  He 
commands  His  ministers  to  do  so,  namely,  because 
all  such  epithets  of  honor  in  regard  to  religious  knowl¬ 
edge  or  excellence  BELONG  TO  God.  The  right  of 
Jesus  to  the  epithet  “good”  in  its  true  meaning,  as 
being  Himself  God  or  a  teacher  of  entirely  different 
character  from  other  teachers  among  the  Jews,  does 
not  come  into  account  here.  Jesus  is  rebuking  a 
usurpation  of  the  rights  of  God  by  the  proud  teach¬ 
ers  of  the  day;  His  own  rights  He  will  assert  at 
another  time.  He  saw  that  the  young  man  was  not 
ready  to  comprehend  and  concede  them,  as  the  se¬ 
quel  shows.  Jesus  does  not  unfold  to  him  plainly  the 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  89 

Gospel  way  of  salvation,  although  his  question  open¬ 
ed  the  way  to  such  an  exposition.  He  led  him  about 
by  the  way  of  the  law,  and  when  he  found  that  road 
hedged  up  by  the  youth’s  high  opinion  of  his  moral¬ 
ity,  He  took  him  by  the  rough  road  of  world-renun¬ 
ciation  and  self-denial.  But  this  was  too  much  for 
this  disciple  with  all  his  regard  for  the  “  Good 
Master.”  So  the  criticism  of  Jesus  was  sustained  by 
the  event.  That  criticism  was  not  directed  against 
the  propriety  of  the  epithet  in  itself  as  applicable  to 
Himself ;  but  against  its  being  applied  to  Him  in  the 
same  way  as  to  other  teachers,  and  without  a  recog¬ 
nition  of  His  higher  nature  and  claims  as  the  ground 
of  it. 

But  meek  and  lowly  in  heart  as  He  was,  He  assert¬ 
ed  that  both  His  heart  and  His  life  were  thoroughly 
conformed  to  the  will  of  God.  What  holy  man  as 
Enoch,  or  Elijah,  or  John,  or  Paul  ever  said,  or  could 
say,  this?  Jesus  asserted  it  not  only  to  men,  but  di¬ 
rectly  to  God  ;  and  not  only  in  the  midst  of  His 
career,  before  He  came  in  sight  of  death,  but  when 
just  about  to  die.  He  asserted  it  not,  as  a  man 
might,  out  of  a  blinded  mind,  a  seared  conscience,  or 
through  stupidity  and  indifference  toward  God  and 
religion ;  but  manifesting  at  the  same  time  the  live¬ 
liest  sense  of  duty  to  God  and  man,  love  to  that 
duty  and  self-renunciation  in  its  performance.  More¬ 
over,  His  whole  life  in  all  its  details  of  manifested 
feelings,  of  words,  of  lines  of  conduct,  and  of  single 
actions,  sustains  these  high  pretensions,  and  the  more 
wonderfully,  the  more  it  is  studied.  Jesus’  life  is  a 


90 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS . 


transcript,  “  the  express  image  ”  of  God’s  Law.  The 
abundant  testimony  of  the  evangelists,  of  all  Jesus’ 
followers,  of  the  traitor,  of  His  judges,  except  those 
who  were  predetermined  to  destroy  Him,  confirm  the 
high  assertion,  and  make  it  undeniable.  Let  us  recall 
here  the  confirmatory  testimony  that  came  from 
heaven :  “  This  is  my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am 
well  pleased.” 

Such  was  Jesus  as  a  man. 

39.  SUPERHUMAN  TRAITS  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF 

JESUS. 

If  all  that  was  true  of  Jesus  which,  in  the  previous 
section,  we  have  seen  was  asserted  and  claimed  by 
Him,  then  still  more  may  be  true.  He  who  was 
a  perfect  man  may  have  been  more  than  man, 
and  probably  was.  For  the  resources  and  powers 
by  which  He  reached  the  standard  of  absolute 
human  perfection,  of  which  all  other  men  come 
far  short,  may  very  likely  have  had  a  virtue  and 
scope  beyond  that  limit.  In  fact  Jesus  asserted 
of  Himself  still  more  and  higher  things.  It  is,  in¬ 
deed,  difficult  to  realize  and  to  believe  that  one  who 
was  really  a  man,  who  once  lived  and  talked  and 
acted  as  a  man  among  men,  was  actually  also  more 
than  man.  Nor  would  we  admit  the  strongest  claims 
of  this  kind  which  any  one  might  put  forth,  who  did 
not  first  realize  the  full  ideal  of  a  man,  as  did  Jesus. 
To  such  a  one  we  will  listen  when  he  claims  still 
more.  Jesus  made  claim  for  Himself  of  attributes, 
relations,  authority,  spheres  of  action,  as  far  beyond 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  gi 

those  of  man  as  heaven  is  higher  than  earth — as  the 
infinite  is  beyond  the  finite. 

Let  us  note  well  that  in  speaking  of  these  super¬ 
human  facts  in  regard  to  himself,  Jesus  always  used 
the  simple  pronouns,  I,  Mine,  Me,  like  any  other  man. 
He  never  distinguished  between  a  higher  part  and  a 
lower  part  of  Himself ;  never  used  any  metaphysics 
about  what  constituted  His  personal  identity  ;  but, 
just  as  He  said  “  my  mother,”  u  my  brethren,”  “  my 
hands,”  “  my  head  ;  ”  in  the  same  way  He  spoke  of 
higher  things.  He  said  to  the  Father  :  The  glory 
which  I  had  with  thee  before  the  world  was  ; 1  I  pro¬ 
ceeded forth  and  came  from  God  ; 2  the  Comforter  .... 
whom  I  will  send  unto  you  from  the  Father  ; 3  I  and 
my  Father  are  one .4  He  spoke  as  consciously  the 
same  being  throughout  the  whole  range  of  His 
existence,  attributes,  and  actions.  In  following  His 
words  on  these  high  themes,  all  we  can  do  is  humbly 
and  carefully  to  interpret,  endeavoring  not  to  add  to 
the  significance  of  His  words  and  not  to  subtract 
from  it. 


40.  THE  MYSTERY  OF  HIS  NATURE. 

Jesus  declared  that  He  was  known  only  by  the 
Father:  No  man  knoweth  the  Son  but  the  Father ; 
and  He  immediately  added,  neither  knoweth  any  man 
the  Father  save  the  Son.5  To  the  same  purport  are 

1  John  xvii.  5.  2  Job1!  y'ui.  42.  3  John  xv-  2 6*  4J°bn  x-  3°* 

6  Mat.  xi.  27.  “  No  man,”  Greek,  ovdelg — ovde  ng,  “  no  one 

and  no  one  ” — not  merely  no  man ,  but  no  being  whatever. 
The  truth  declared  is  the  same  as  that  in  John  i.  18  :  No  man 


92 


.  CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


His  words  in  Luke  :  No  man  knoweth  who  the  Son  is 
but  the  Father } 

*  These  words  assert  a  claim  of  the  very  highest 
kind.  Jesus  could  not  mean  to  say  simply  that  the 
Father,  being  Omniscient,  knows  the  Son  perfectly ; 
for  just  so  God  knows  every  other  being.  The  two 
converse  declarations  here  explain  each  other  ;  they 
express  a  mutuality  and  equality  of  knowledge  on 
the  part  of  the  Father  and  the  Son.  When  Jesus 
thus  set  these  declarations  one  over  against  the  other, 
He  declared  that  there  are  depths  in  the  nature  of 
each  party  which  are  entirely  within  the  view  and 
comprehension  of  the  other,  and  entirely  beyond  the 
mental  reach  and  grasp  of  all  other  beings.  But  this 
amounts  to  an  assertion  of  equality  in  nature  with 
the  Father;  an  equality  inconsistent  with  the  relation 
of  a  creature  to  its  Creator.  No  such  mutuality  and 
equality  of  knowledge  with  God  was  ever  asserted, 
except  in  madness  and  folly,  by  any  other  being  but 
Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Let  us  dwell  upon  this  assertion 
of  Jesus:  No  man  knoweth  the  Son  but  the  Father, 
in  the  light  of  its  converse  assertion,  7ieither  knoweth 
any  man  the  Father  save  the  So?i,  until  we  gain  some 
just  idea  of  its  meaning ;  and  then,  fixing  our  thought 
on  Him  who  utters  it,  say,  Such  is  our  Jesus  !  He 
“  dwells  in  the  light  which  no  man  can  approach 
unto.’' 


hath  seen  God  at  any  time  :  the  only  begotten  Son  who  is  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Father,  He  hath  declared  Him.  See  John  viii.  14. 

1  Luke  x.  22. 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  93 


41.  JESUS  ASSERTED  TEIAT  HE  WAS  BEFORE  ALL 

THINGS,  THAT  HE  EXISTED  FROM  ETERNITY,  AND 

WILL  EXIST  TO  ETERNITY. 

In  Jesus’  prayer  made  just  before  His  capture  He 
used  these  words  :  And  now ,  O  Father,  glorify  thou 
me  with  thine  own  self,  with  the  glory  which  I  had  with 
thee  before  the  world  was }  And  again  :  Fcr  thou 
lovedst  me  before  the  foundation  of  the  world'}  These 
phrases,  “  before  the  world  was,”  “  before  the  founda¬ 
tion  of  the  world,”  are  popular  designations  of  the 
indefinite  past  or  of  past  eternity.1 2 3 4  To  John  in 
Patmos,  He  said  ;  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega ,  the  Begi?i- 
ning  and  the  Ending,  saith  the  Lord,  which  is,  and 
which  was,  and  which  is  to  come}  I  am  Alpha  and 
Omega,  the  First  and  the  Last }  These  things  saith 
the  First  and  the  Last }  L  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the 
Beginning  and  the  End }  L  am  A  Ipha  and  Omega,  the 
Beginning  and  the  End,  the  First  and  the  Last}  In 
these  words  Jesus  asserts  that  His  existence  occupies 
the  present,  the  past  and  the  future,  or  the  undivided 

1  John  xvii.  5.  See  on  the  subject  of  this  Section,  ch.  iii.  §  13. 

2  John  xvii.  24. 

3  See  Ps.  xc.  2  :  Prov.  viii.  22-27.  The  phraseology  of  the  He¬ 
brew  Bible  was  imitated  in  the  Septuagint  and  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment  :  Eph.  i.  4 ;  1  Pet.  i.  20  ;  Mat  xiii.  35,  and  xxv.  34. 

4  Rev.  i.  8.  5  Rev.  i.  11.  6  Rev.  ii.  8.  7  Rev.  xxi.  6. 

8  Rev.  xxii.  13.  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  first  and  last  letters  of 
the  Greek  Alphabet,  designate  very  appropriately  Him  who  is 

the  First  and  the  Last  in  the  order  of  succession  of  beings.  He 

who  is  both  these  must  be  eternal. 


94 


CHRIST  IIIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


duration  of  eternity  ;  and  that  as  the  First  and  the 
Last,  all  beings  except  God  originate  in  Him,  have 
their  duration  through  Him,  and  the  end  or  object 
of  their  being  in  Him.  When  the  Jews  said  :  “  Thou 
art  not  yet  fifty  years  old,  and  hast  thou  seen  Abra¬ 
ham  ?  ”  Jesus  answered:  Before  Abraham  was,  1 
am}  A  remarkable  word  :  in  it  Jesus  clearly  asserted 
that  He  existed  before  Abraham.  But  His  use  of 
the  present  tense  here,  “  I  AM,”  must  have  reminded 
the  Jews,  as  they  remind  all  readers  of  the  Bible,  of 
that  name  which  God  gave  to  Himself  when  speaking 
to  Moses.  Moses  had  asked  God  by  what  name  he 
should  speak  of  Him  to  the  children  of  Israel.  God 
answered :  “  I  AM  THAT  I  AM.  Thus  shalt  thou  say 
to  the  children  of  Israel,  I  AM  hath  sent  me  unto 
you.”  2  This  name,  a  form  of  the  verb  signifying  TO 
BE,  expresses  existence :  ESSENTIAL,  and  so  ETERNAL 
existence.  Jesus  gave  Himself  this  name.  It  is 
only  another  form  of  the  name  Jehovah.  We  there¬ 
fore  understand  Jesus  as  claiming,  in  His  answer  to 
the  Jews,  existence  the  same  in  kind  and  duration  as 
God  did  whem  He  called  Himself  I  AM  or  Jehovah. 

Human  language  could  not  be  made  to  express  the 
idea  of  eternal  existence  more  strongly  than  by  these 
terms.  God’s  existence  from  eternity  to  eternity 
could  not  be  more  strongly  expressed  than  by  these 
terms  used  in  just  this  way.  Indeed  they  are  used 
in  just  this  manner  for  that  purpose.3  When,  therefore, 

1  John  viii.  58.  2  Ex.  iii.  14. 

3  See  Isa.  xli.  4  ;  and  xliv.  6  ;  and  xlviii.  12.  And  with  the 
u  I  am  ”  of  Jesus  compare  the  “  I  AM  he  ”  (Heb.  of 

God  in  these  same  passages. 


CHA  RAC  TER  A  ATD  AT  TRIE  U  TE  S  OF  JE  S  US. 

Jesus  says  of  Himself  that  He  existed  “  before  Abra¬ 
ham,”  “  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,”  “  before 
the  world  was,”  that  He  is  “Alpha  and  Omega,” 
“  the  Beginning  and  the  End,”  “  the  First  and  the 
Last ;  ”  and  even  uses  the  verb  of  existence  in  the 
present  tense,  “  I  AM,”  to  cover  the  whole  of  the 
past  duration  of  His  Being,  we  can  understand  Him 
only  in  one  way,  as  claiming  existence  eternal  both 
in  the  past  and  the  future — or,  as  the  Apostle  puts 
it:  “Jesus  Christ  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and 
forever.”  1 

42.  JESUS  ASSERTED  HIMSELF  THE  FIRST  CAUSE 
OF  ALL  THINGS  ;  THE  CREATOR  OF  ALL. 

He  indited  to  John  in  Patmos  the  words:  These 
things  saith  the  Amen ,  the  Faithful  and  true  Witness, 
the  Beginning  of  the  creation  of  God? 

On  the  sense  of  the  words,  “  the  Beginning  of  the 
creation  of  God,”  we  must  refer  to  the  quotations 
made  in  the  last  section.  We  may  also  refer  for  illus¬ 
tration  to  John  i.  3  :  “  All  things  were  made  by  him,  and 
without  him  was  not  anything  made  that  was  made.” 
Also  to  Col.  i.  15,  16,  1 7:  “Who  is  the  image  of  the 
invisible  God,  the  first-born  of  every  creature  (not 
the  first  of  created  beings,  but,  BEFORE  ALL  created 
beings,  as  the  very  next  words  show):  For  by  him 
were  all  things  created  that  are  in  heaven  and  that 
are  in  earth,  visible  and  invisible,  whether  they  be 
thrones  or  dominions  or  principalities  or  powers  (that 
is  all,  including  the  highest  orders  of  created  beings)  . 


1  Heb.  xiii.  8. 


2  Rev.  iii.  14. 


96 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  V/ITNESS. 


all  things  were  created  by  him  and  for  him  {i.  e.,  for 
his  service,  purposes,  and  glory:  He  is  the  end,  ob¬ 
ject  of  all) :  and  he  is  before  all  things,  and  by  him 
all  things  consist  ”  (consist,  i.  e.,  subsist,  continue  in 
their  forms,  order,  relations,  operation).  Jesus  is  then 
also  the  Upholder  and  the  Controller  of  all  things. 

We  have  quoted  these  words  of  the  Apostle  sim¬ 
ply  to  illustrate  and  corroborate  our  explanation  of 
Jesus’  words,  viz.,  that  He  is  the  creator  of  all  created 
things. 

43.  JESUS  CLAIMED  SUPERHUMAN  KNOWLEDGE. 

He  knew  facts  and  occurrences  which  were  beyond 
the  reach  of  the  senses.  When  Nathanael  came  to 
Him,  He  said  :  Before  that  Philip  called  thee,  when 
thou  wast  under  the  fig-tree ,  I  saw  theel  He  knew 
things  on  earth  and  things  in  heaven :  If  I  have  told 
you  earthly  things  and  ye  believe  not,  how  shall  ye  be¬ 
lieve  if  I  tell  you  of  heavenly  things  ? 2 

He  spoke  of  Himself  as  a  prophet.  To  the  people 
of  Nazareth  who  challenged  Him  to  do  there  such 
works  as  He  had  done  in  Capernaum,  He  said :  No 
prophet  is  accepted  in  his  own  country .3  He  said  the 
same  on  another  occasion.4  Again,  referring  to  Him¬ 
self  :  It  cannot  be  that  a  prophet  perish  out  of  Jerusa¬ 
lem  l 

He  predicted  future  events  :  Now  I  have  told  you 
before  it  come  to  pass  I  These  things  have  I  told  you , 


Hohn  i.  48. 

3  Luke  iv.  24 ;  Mat.  xiii.  57  ;  Mark  vi.  4. 

6  Luke  xiii.  33. 


2  John  iii.  12,  13. 
4  John  iv.  44. 

6  John  xiv  29. 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  gj 

that  when  the  time  shall  come,  ye  may  remember  that 
I  told  you  of  them.  And  these  things  I  said  not  unto 
you  at  the  . beginning  because  I  was  with  you}  He 
knew  the  things  then  from  the  beginning,  but  held  it 
not  necessary  to  speak  of  them.  Of  His  predictions 
in  regard  to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the  end 
of  the  world,  He  said :  Behold  I  have  told  you  be¬ 
fore }  Behold  I  have  foretold  you  all  things}  We  shall 
have  occasion  to  study  many  of  His  predictions  of 
things  then  future. 

44.  JESUS  KNEW  MEN,  THEIR  WORKS  AND  THEIR 

HEARTS,  AND  WAS  AWARE  OF  THEIR  PLANS 

AND  MOVEMENTS. 

I  know  you  that  ye  have  not  the  love  of  God  in  you } 
He  could  not  be  deceived  by  any  hiding  of  malicious 
intentions  under  plausible  appearances.  When  the 
Pharisees  and  Herodians  united  in  a  plan  to  entangle 
Plim,  and  asked  Him  :  “  Is  it  lawful  to  give  tribute 
unto  Caesar  or  not  ?  ”  Jesus  perceived  their  wickedness 
and  said:  Why  tempt  ye  me,  ye  hypocrites  ? 5  To 
the  multitude  who  crossed  the  lake  in  pursuit  of 
Him  He  said,  laying  open  their  motives  :  Ye 
seek  me  not  because  ye  saw  the  miracles ,  but  be¬ 
cause  ye  did  eat  of  the  loaves  and  were  filled }  He 
knew  that  Judas  would  betray  Him:  Have  not  I 
chosen  you  twelve  and  one  of  you  is  a  devil.  He 
spake  of  Judas  Iscariot.7  Ye  are  clean,  but  not  all. 

1  John  xvi.  4.  2  Mat.  xxiv.  25.  3  Mark  xiii.  23. 

4  John  v.  42.  6  Mat.  xxii.  18  ;  Mark  xii.  15  ;  Luke  xx.  23. 

6  John  vi.  26.  T  John  vi.  70,  71. 

5 


98 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


For  Fie  knew  who  should  betray  Him.1  At  the  last 
supper,  when  Peter  asked  Him  who  it  was  that 
should  betray  Him,  he  answered  :  He  it  is  to  whom  1 
shall  give  a  sop  when  I  have  dipped  it ;  and  then  gave 
it  to  Judas,  saying:  That  thou  doest ,  do  quickly ? 
Judas  went  out  immediately;  and  Jesus  said  in  refer¬ 
ence  to  the  series  of  events  which  were  to  be  begun 
by  the  act  of  the  traitor  :  Now  is  the  Son  of  man 
glorified  and  God  is  glorified  in  him}  As  the  band, 
led  by  Judas,  was  coming  up,  He  said  to  the  three 
disciples  who  were  with  Him  :  The  Son  of  man  is 
betrayed  into  the  hands  of  sinners.  Rise  up,  let  us  go  : 
lo ,  he  that  betrayeth  me  is  at  hand ?  When  Judas 
came  up  and  gave  the  deceitful  kiss,  He  said  to  Him  : 
Friend,  wherefore  art  thou  come  ?  Betrayest  thou  the 
Son  of  man  with  a  kiss  f 5  Just  so  Jesus  knew  before¬ 
hand  Peter’s  fall :  Verily ,  verily  I  say  unto  thee ,  The 
cock  shall  not  crozv  till  thou  hast  denied  me  thrice ? 
He  knew,  too,  that  Peter  would  repent  and  be  re¬ 
stored  :  And  when  thou  art  converted,  strengthen  thy 
brethren?  He  knew  that  all  the  disciples  would  for¬ 
sake  Him  :  All  ye  shall  be  offended  because  of  me  this 
night :  for  it  is  written,  I  will  smite  the  Shepherd  and 
the  sheep  of  the  flock  shall  be  scattered  abroad?  Behold 
the  hour  cometh,  yea,  is  now  come,  that  ye  shall  be  scat¬ 
tered  every  man  to  his  own,  and  shall  leave  me  alone? 

1  John  xiii.  io,  ii.  2  John  xiii.  26,  27. 

3  John  xiii.  31. *  4 5 6 7  Mat.  xxvi.  45,  46  ;  Mark  xiv.  41,  42. 

5  Mat.  xxvi.  50  and  Luke  xxii.  48. 

6  John  xiii.  38  ;  Mat.  xxvi.  34  ;  Mark  xiv.  30  :  Luke  xxii.  34. 

7  Luke  xxii.  31,  32.  8  Mat.  xxvi.  31  ;  Mark  xiv.  27, 

9  John  xvi.  32. 


CIIA  RA  C  TER  A  ND  A  T  TRIE  U  TE  S  OF  JES  US.  gg 

Jesus  knew  beforehand  of  the  reception  He 
should  receive  when  He  should  come  riding  into 
Jerusalem.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  ye  shall  not  see  me 
until  the  time  come  when  ye  shall  say,  blessed  is  he  that 
cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord} 

Assertions  of  a  more  extensive  knowledge  of  men 
are  as  follows  :  I  am  the  Good  Shepherd  and  know  my 
sheep ?  ....  My  sheep  hear  my  voice ,  and  I  know 
them?  To  each  of  the  seven  churches  in  Asia 
He  said:  I  know  thy  zuorks /4  and  then  added  a 
description  of  the  works.  To  the  Church  of  Ephesus  :  I 
know  thy  works,  and  thy  labor,  and  thy  patiejice,  and 
how  thou  canst  not  bear  them  which  are  evil ;  and  thou 
hast  tried  them  which  say  they  are  apostles  and  are  not, 
a?id  hast  found  them  liars  :  and  hast  borne  and  hast 
patience,  and  for  my  names  sake  hast  labored  and  hast 
not  fainted?  So  He  described  the  Church  in  Smyrna,6 
that  in  Pergamos,7  that  in  Thyatira,8  that  in  Sardis,9 
that  in  Philadelphia,19  and  that  in  Laodicea.'11  So 
extensive,  so  thorough  is  Jesus’  knowledge  of  men. 

45.  JESUS  KNEW  ALSO  THE  FACTS  ABOUT  SPIRITUAL 

BEINGS. 

He  often  spoke  of  Angels  and  their  employments, 
e.  g.,  of  those  who  had  charge  of  His  little  ones,  always 
beholding  the  face  of  God,12  of  the  joy  which  they  feel 
at  the  repentance  of  a  single  sinner,13  of  their  number 

1  Luke  xiii.  35  ;  Mat.  xxiii.  39.  2  John  x.  14.  3  John  x.  27, 

4  Rev.  ii.  2,  9,  13,  19  ;  ch.  iii.  1,  8,  1 5.  6  Rev.  ii.  2,  3,  4. 

6  Rev.  ii.  9.  7  Rev.  ii.  13-15.  8  Rev.  ii.  19,  20. 

0  Rev.  iii.  1,  4.  10  Rev.  iii.  8,  10.  11  Rev.  iii.  15,  17. 

13  Mat.  xviii.  10.  13  Luke  xv.  10. 


100 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


and  readiness  for  service.  Thinkcst  thou  that  I  can 
not  now  pray  to  my  Father,  and  he  shall  presently  give 
me  more  than  twelve  legions  of  angels?1 II  He  told 
Nathanael :  Hereafter  ye  shall  see  heaven  open  and  the 
angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending  upon  the  Son 
of  man? 

Jesus  knew,  too,  of  the  devil — his  power,  arts,  and 
hostility — of  the  devil's  active  efforts  against  Him¬ 
self,  and  his  certain  ultimate  failure  and  defeat. 

He  said  to  Peter :  Simon,  Simon,  Satan  hath  de¬ 
sired  to  have  you,  that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat.  But 
I  have  prayed  for  thee?  He  knew  that  Satan  was  the 
prompter  and  leader  in  His  capture  and  death  :  The 
prince  of  this  world  cometh  and  hath  nothing  in  me? 
This  is  your  hour  and  the  power  of  darkness?  Now  is 
the  judgment  of  this  world ;  now  shall  the  prince  of 
this  w  or  Id  be  cast  out?  I  beheld  Satan  as  lightning 
fall  from  heaven? 

4 6.  JESUS  KNEW  EIIMSELF. 

He  knew  His  own  Origin  and  Destiny.  I  know 
whe?ice  I  came  and  whither  I  go? 

He  knew  that  many  would  reject  Him.  No  prophet 
is  accepted  in  his  own  country?  A  prophet  is  not  with¬ 
out  honor  save  in  his  own  country  and  in  his  own 
house .10  The  Son  of  man  shall  be  rejected  of  the  chief 
priests  and  scribes .n 

I  Mat.  xxvi.  53.  2  John  i.  51.  3  Luke  xxii.  31,  32. 

4  John  xiv.  30.  5  Luke  xxii.  53.  6  John  xii.  31. 

7  Luke  x.  18.  *  John  viii.  14.  9  Luke  iv.  24. 

10  Mat.  xiii.  57  ;  Mark  vi.  4  ;  John  iv.  44. 

II  Luke  ix.  22  ;  Mat.  xvi.  21  and  xvii.  22. 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  I0I 


He  knew  of  His  death  and  its  time.  I  must 
work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me  while  it  is  day : 
the  night  cometh  in  which  no  man  can  zvork?  The  days 
will  come  when  the  Bridegroom  (i.  e.,  Himself)  shall  be 
taken  from  them  (His  disciples).2 3  The  days  will  come 
when  ye  shall  desire  to  see  one  of  the  days  of  the  Son  of 
man  and  ye  shall  not  see  it?  The  poor  alzvays  ye  have 
with  you,  but  me  ye  have  not  always?  He  often  spoke 
of  the  time  of  His  death  as  being  fixed  and  as  well 
known  to  Himself.  Mine  hour  is  not  yet  come?  My 
time  is  not  yet  come :  but  your  time  is  alzvays  ready 
.  .  .  .  My  time  is  not  yet  full  come?  The  Master 
saith,  My  time  is  at  hand?  Yet  a  little  while  am 
I  with  you?  Yet  a  little  while  and  the  zvorld  seeth 
me  no  more?  I  go  to  my  Father  and  ye  see  me  no 
more .10  I  leave  the  world  and  go  to  the  Father ?y 
Father  !  the  hour  is  come?'1  ....  And  nozv  I  am  no 
more  in  the  zvorld  ....  and  I come  to  thee  .13  ....  He 
knew  the  manner  of  His  death  and  all  its  circum¬ 
stances.  The  Son  of  man  goeth  as  it  is  zvritten  of 

1  John  ix.  4.  2  Mat.  ix.  15  ;  Mark  ii.  19  ;  Luke  v.  34. 

3  Luke  xvii.  22.  4  John  xii.  8.  5 * *  John  ii.  4. 

c  John  vii.  6,  8.  It  may  be  doubtful  whether  Jesus  in  this  and 

the  preceding  passage  refers  to  the  time  of  His  death.  He  may 
mean  the  time  for  doing  that,  or  such  things  as  that,  of  which 
He  or  the  other  party  was  speaking  at  the  time.  Yet  a  compari¬ 
son  of  all  the  places  in  which  this  phrase  occurs  in  Jesus’  words, 
strengthens  the  assumption  that  in  Jesus’  mouth  this  is  a  fixed 

phrase  with  a  fixed  meaning  :  His  time  to  die.  (See  next  quota¬ 

tion  ) 

7  Mat.  xxvi.  18.  8 9  John  vii.  33  and  ch.  xiii.  33. 

9  John  xiv.  19.  10  John  xvi.  10.  “John  xvi.  28. 

12  John  xvii.  1.  13  John  xvii.  1 1. 


102 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


him}  Elias  is  come  already ,  and  they  knew  him  not , 
but  have  done  unto  him  whatsoever  they  listed :  like¬ 
wise  shall  also  the  Son  of  man  suffer  of  them }  The  Son 
of  man  shall  be  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  men ;  and 
they  shall  kill  him ,  and  the  third  day  he  shall  be  raised 
again ?  We  see  here  that  He  also  knew  what  should 
take  place  after  His  death  :  The  Son  of  man  must 
suffer  many  things ,  and  be  rejected  of  the  chief  priests 
and  scribes,  a7id  be  slain,  and  be  raised  again  the  third 
day}  I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with}  Can  ye 
drink  of  the  cup  that  I  drink  of,  and  be  baptized  with 
the  baptism  that  I  am  baptized  with  f* 3 4 5  6 * 8  Ye  shall  in¬ 
deed  drink  of  the  cup  that  I  drink  of,  and  with  the  bap¬ 
tism  that  I  am  baptized  withal  shall  ye  be  baptized 7 
Behold  we  go  up  to  Jerusalem  ;  and  the  Son  of  man  shall 
be  delivered  unto  the  chief  priests  and  unto  the  scribes  ; 
and  they  shall  condemn  him  to  death,  and  shall  deliver 
him  to  the  Gentiles  ;  and  they  shall  mock  him,  and  shall 
scourge  him,  and  shall  spit  upon  him,  and  shall  kill  him, 
and  the  third  day  he  shall  rise  again}  They  shall  de¬ 
liver  him  to  the  Gentiles  to  mock,  and  to  scourge,  and  to 
crucify  him} 

On  the  mode  of  His  death,  He  said  :  As  Moses  liftea 
up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so  must  the  Son 

1  Mat.  xxvi.  24  ;  Mark  xiv.  21.  2  Mat.  xvii.  12  ;  Mark  ix.  13. 

3  Mat.  xvii.  22,  23  ;  Mark  ix.  31  ;  Luke  ix.  44. 

4  Luke  ix.  22  ;  Mat.  xvi.  21  ;  Mark  viii.  31. 

5  Luke  xii.  50.  6  Mark  x.  38  ;  Mat.  xx.  22. 

7  Mark  x.  39  ;  Mat.  xx.  23. 

8  Mark  x.  33,  34 ;  Mat.  xx.  18  ;  Luke  xviii.  32. 

8  Mat.  xx.  19  ;  Luke  xviii.  33. 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  i0$ 


of  man  be  lifted  up}  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the 
earth ,  will  draw  all  men  unto  me.  This  He  said  sig¬ 
nifying  what  death  He  should  die.2  This  that  is 
written  must  yet  be  accomplished  in  me,  And  he  was 
numbered  with  the  transgressors :  for  the  things  con¬ 
cerning  me  have  an  end ? 

He  knew  that  His  body  would  be  broken  by 
wounds,  and  His  blood  shed  :  This  is  my  body  which 
is  broken  for  you}  This  is  my  blood  of  the  New  Tes¬ 
tament  which  is  shed  for  many,  for  the  remission  of 
sins.* 5 

Jesus  knew  that  He  should  be  buried  :  For  in  that 
she  hath  poured  this  ointment  on  my  body,  she  did  it  for 
my  burial }  As  Jonas  was  three  days  and  three  nights 
i?i  the  whale  s  belly,  so  shall  the  Son  of  man  be  three 
days  and  three  nights  in  the  heart  of  the  earth} 

We  have  already  quoted  words  foretelling  His 
resurrection.  There  are  still  others :  Tell  the  vis¬ 
ion  (of  the  transfiguration)  to  no  man  till  the  Son  of 
man  be  risen  again  from  the  dead}  A fter  I  am  risen 
again,  I  will  go  before  you  into  Galilee}  Destroy  this 
temple ,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up.  But  He 
spake  of  the  temple  of  His  body.10 

Jesus  also  knew  that  after  His  resurrection  He 
should  ascend  up  where  he  was  before .u 

I  John  iii.  14.  2  John  xii.  32.  3  Luke  xxii.  37. 

4 1  Cor.  xi.  24.  6 7  Mat.  xxvi.  28  ;  Mark  xiv.  24 ;  Luke  xxii.  20, 

6  Mat.  xxvi.  12  ;  Mark  xiv.  8  ;  John  xii.  7. 

7  Mat.  xii.  40  ;  Luke  xi.  30.  8 *  Mat.  xvii.  9  ;  Mark  ix.  9. 

0  Mat.  xxvi.  32  ;  Mark  xiv.  28.  10  John  ii.  19,  21. 

II  John  vi.  62. 


104 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


47.  JESUS  KNOWS  THE  FATHER. 

For  the  Father  loveth  the  Son  and  sheweth  him  all 
things  that  himself  doeth ,  and  he  will  shew  him  greater 
works  than  these } 

He  that  sent  me  is  true ,  whom  ye  know  not.  But  I 
know  him ,  for  I  am  from  him ,  and  he  hath  sent  me .2 
Ye  have  7iot  known  him ,  but  I  know  him ,  and  if  I 
should  say  I  know  him  not,  I  shall  be  a  liar  like  unto 
you  :  but  I  know  him  and  keep  his  saying.3 

Jesus  claimed  that  He  alone  knows  the  FATHER : 
No  man  knoweth  the  Son  but  the  Father,  and  no  man 
knoweth  the  Father  save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whom 
the  Son  will  reveal  him}  This  evidently  intends 
immediate  knowledge  without  need  of  revelation, 
like  that  by  which  the  Father  knows  the  Son. 

On  the  first  declaration  here,  see  §  40,  p.  92.  The 
second  or  converse  declaration  is  properly  before  us 
now,  and  is  more  wonderful  even  than  the  other.  “  No 
man  knoweth  the  Father  save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whom 
the  Son  will  (wills  to)  reveal  Him.”  What  must  he  be 
who  knows,  comprehends  God?  who  knows  Him 
without  a  revelation,  i.  e.,  immediately,  intuitively? 
who  is  the  only  channel  of  the  revelation  of  God  to 
others  ?  and  who  reveals  Him  only  to  whom  He  wills  ? 

48.  JESUS’  KNOWLEDGE  AS  TO  THE  TIME  OF  THE 

JUDGMENT. 

Thus  far  Jesus  certainly  seems  to  have  ignored  all 
limits  to  His  knowledge.  And  indeed  if  what  He 

1  John  v.  20.  2  John  vii.  28,  29. 

4  Mat.  xi.  27  ;  Luke  x.  22. 


3  John  viii.  55. 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  I0[j- 

asserted  be  true,  it  is  hard  to  conceive  of  any  limits 
to  it  whatever.  We  have  learned  that  He  knew 
things  distant  from  Him  and  beyond  the  reach  of 
His  senses  ;  things  past,  present,  and  future ;  things 
on  earth  and  in  heaven  ;  the  characters,  thoughts, 
plans,  efforts,  and  works  of  men,  and  no  less  of  devils  ; 
the  facts  concerning  angels  ;  the  acts  of  God  and 
God  himself.  The  Bible  always  speaks  of  Jesus  in 
harmony  with  these  declarations.  Jesus  himself 
never  admitted  His  ignorance  of  anything  unless  it 
be  once  on  one  special  point.  This  case  we  will  now 
consider. 

He  said  of  the  time  of  His  future  coming,  as  Mark 
reports  Him  (according  to  the  received  text) :  But  of 
that  day  and  that  hour  knoweth  no  man  (no  one),  no ,  not 
the  angels  which  are  in  heaven,  neither  the  Son,  but  the 
Father}  The  words  in  Matthew  are  :  But  of  that  day 
and  hour  knoweth  no  man  (no  one),  no,  not  the  angels 
of  heaven,  but  my  Father  only}  There  the  words, 
“  neither  the  Son,”  do  not  occur.  Jesus’  words  before 
he  ascended  :  “  It  is  not  for  you  to  know  the  times  and 
the  seasons  which  the  Father  hath  put  in  his  ozvn  power  f 3 
do  not  assert  His  own  ignorance  as  to  those  times 
and  seasons,  nor  do  they  deny  it.  His  words  to  the 
finally  rejected  :  I  never  knew  you  ;  4  and  I  know  you 
not}  have  quite  another  meaning,  namely,  that  He 
does  not  recognize  them  as  His :  just  as  Paul, 
quoting  Old  Testament  words,  says :  “  The  Lord 


1  Mark  xiii.  32. 
4  Mat.  vii.  23. 

5* 


8  Acts  i.  7. 

5  Luke  xiii.  27. 


2  Mat.  xxiv.  36. 


I06  CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 

knoweth  them  that  are  his.”1  Luke  says  that  “  Jesus 
increased  in  wisdom,” 2  expressing  the  gradual  de¬ 
velopment  of  His  human  nature.  In  the  very  dis¬ 
course  of  Jesus  where  the  words  in  question  occur, 
Jesus  revealed  not  only  a  minute  knowledge  of  all 
the  events  connected  with  His  future  coming,  but 
also  in  regard  to  the  time  of  it.  “  But  in  those  days, 

after  that  tribulation  the  sun  shall  be  darkened . 

And  then  shall  they  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in 

the  clouds  with  great  power  and  glory . When 

ye  shall  see  these  things  come  to  pass,  know  that  it 
is  nigh,  even  at  the  doors.”  3  On  the  question  of  the 
reference  of  these  words  to  the  future  judgment, 
see  §  127,  p.  271. 

These  words,  then,  in  Mark,  “  neither  the  Son,” 
are  entirely  singular  and  unsupported  by  any  other 
Scripture.  Various  methods  have  been  tried  to 
modify  the  natural  meaning  of  the  words.  Some 
understand  Jesus  as  asserting  that  the  hour  of  the 
judgment  is  a  mystery  which  the  Son  knows  not  as 
a  matter  to  be  revealed.  So  Paul  says  :  “  I  deter¬ 
mined  to  know  nothing  among  you  but  Jesus  Christ 
and  him  crucified.”  4  But  it  is  an  obvious  requirement 
of  exegesis  that  the  words  “  know  not  ”  should  have 
the  same  meaning  in  reference  to  all  the  subjects 
mentioned  together.  They  deny  the  knowledge  in 
question  absolutely  in  reference  to  men  and  angels  ; 
therefore  they  do  also  in  reference  to  the  Son.  They 


1  2  Tim.  ii.  19. 

Mark  xiii.  24,  sq. 


2  Luke  ii.  52. 
4 1  Cor.  ii.  2. 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  \0J 

deny  ignorance  of  the  Father,  and  so  declare  a  dif¬ 
ference  in  this  respect  between  Him  and  the  Son. 

Others  explain  :  Jesus  knows  not  that  day  as  man, 
or,  as  the  Messiah.  There  may  be  a  propriety  in 
this  restriction  ;  just  as  many  other  things  which  He 
said  of  Himself  can  apply  to  Him  only  in  one  of 
these  capacities.  But  here  it  is  against  such  an 
understanding  that  He  does  not  say  “nor  do  I,”  but, 
“  neither  the  Son.”  It  is  as  Son  that  He  does  not 
know  this,  while  the  Father  does. 

We  feel  it  to  be  vain,  if  not  presumptuous,  to  at¬ 
tempt  any  explanation  of  the  words  as  they  now 
stand.  If  they  are  genuine,  the  true  explanation 
must  be  based  upon  the  relations  of  the  persons  in 
the  Godhead.  This  subject  will  come  up  further 
on,  in  our  study  of  the  words  of  Jesus  in  regard  to 
His  Sonship,  and  of  the  derivation  of  the  life,  powers, 
doctrine,  authority,  and  activities  of  the  Son  from 
the  Father;  and  especially  in  the  passages  which  con¬ 
tain  what  Jesus  said  of  the  Father’s  showing,  telling, 
and  teaching  the  Son.1  Let  us  also  call  to  mind 
other  Scriptural  figures  of  the  same  relation.  Speak¬ 
ing  of  the  Son,  the  writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the  He¬ 
brews  says  :  Who  being  the  brightness  of  His  glory, 
and  the  express  image  of  His  person.2  Some¬ 
where  and  somehow,  under  the  mystery  of  the  Son- 
ship  and  of  this  derivation  from  the  Father,  lies  hid 
the  explanation  of  the  fact  (if  it  be  a  fact)  of  the 
Son’s  ignorance  of  the  time  of  the  final  judgment. 


1  See  §  66,  p.  143,  sq. 


2  Heb.  i.  3. 


io8 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


But  the  more  probable  explanation  is,  that  these 
words  in  Mark,  “  neither  the  Son,”  are  not  genuine. 
Not  that  there  is  lack  of  external  evidence  in  their 
behalf ;  for  they  are  older  than  the  Nicene  Council, 
and  are  in  all  the  principal  manuscripts  and  versions ; 
but  the  internal  evidence  is  against  them.  They  are 
inconsistent  with  the  rest  of  Scripture,  whether  the 
words  of  Jesus  himself  or  of  inspired  men,  all  which 
ignore  all  limitations  to  His  knowledge.  There  is 
also  nothing  in  the  nature  of  the  point  itself  which 
can  explain  its  reservation.  He  who  knows  God 
himself,  who,  as  well  as  the  Spirit,  searches  the  deep 
things  of  God — why  should  He  not  know  the  single 
item  of  the  time  of  the  judgment  ?  a  point  compara¬ 
tively  insignificant  (I  would  speak  reverently)  in  com¬ 
parison  with  the  vast  range  of  truth  open  to  Him. 
Also,  the  words  in  question,  as  they  occur  in  the 
passage,  make  a  phrase  by  themselves  and  constitute 
an  independent  item  in  an  enumeration,  and  could 
therefore  either  be  added  or  fall  out  without  affect¬ 
ing  the  construction  of  the  sentence.  Add  to  this 
the  fact  that  they  are  wanting  in  the  words  as  given 
by  Matthew  ;  and  that  reasons  readily  occur  why 
some  early  transcriber,  imperfectly  taught  in  the  doc¬ 
trine  of  Christ,  should  insert  them,  thinking  that  he 
was  doing  God  service,  and  there  is  reached  what 
seems  to  the  writer  to  be  a  probability  that  these  are 
not  the  words  of  Jesus. 

49.  JESUS’  PRESENCE  UNCONFINED. 

In  regard  to  space,  Jesus  spoke  of  Himself  as  free 
from  the  limitations  of  creatures.  And  no  man  hath 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  i0g 

ascended  up  to  heaven  but  he  that  came  down  from 
heaven ,  even  the  Son  of  man  which  is  in  heaven ?  He  is 
in  heaven  while  on  the  earth.  He  that  loveth  me  shall 
be  loved  of  my  Father ,  and  I  will  love  him  and  will 
manifest  myself  to  him.  ...  If  a  man  love  me ,  he 
will  keep  my  zvords,  and  my  Father  will  love  him ,  and 
we  will  come  unto  him  and  make  our  abode  with  him ? 
Jesus  will  be  present,  will  manifest  Himself  as  pres¬ 
ent,  to  the  loving,  obedient  disciple,  to  every  such  a 
one,  to  all,  however  many  or  widely  scattered.  This 
promise  is  actually  fulfilled  in  the  experience  of 
thousands  of  true  believers  at  the  same  time.  So  is 
that  other  great  word  of  Jesus  :  Where  two  or  three 
are  gathered  together  in  my  name ,  there  am  I  in  the 
midst  of  them?  And  also  that  royal  promise  attach¬ 
ed  to  that  right  royal  command  :  Go  ye  therefore  and 
teach  all  nations ,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father ,  and  of  the  Son ,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost :  Teaching 
them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded 
you  :  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway ,  even  unto  the  end 
of  the  world?  How  could  it  be  fulfilled  by  man  or 
angel  ?  especially  as  it  pledges  not  His  blank  pres¬ 
ence,  but  His  hearing,  knowing,  helping,  and  mightily 
protecting  presence  with  the  thousands  upon  thou¬ 
sands  of  private  Christians,  and  the  tens  of  thousands 
of  missionaries  of  the  cross,  and  worshiping  assem¬ 
blies  of  His  people  throughout  the  world.  The  use 
of  the  present  tense,  too,  in  these  declarations,  is  cer¬ 
tainly  significant,  as  it  is  highly  characteristic  :  “  The 

1  John  iii.  13.  2  John  xiv.  21,  23. 

8  Mat.  xviii.  20.  4  Mat.  xxviii.  19,  20. 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


1 10 

Son  of  man  WHICH  IS  IN  HEAVEN  :  ”  u  There  AM  I  IN 
THE  MIDST  OF  YOU  :  ”  “  Lo,  I  AM  WITH  YOU  ALWAY.” 

The  invitations  of  Jesus,  too,  imply  the  possibility 
of  getting  near  to  Him  for  all,  even  the  v/eak  and  the 
bound  :  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden  ;  1  If  any  man  thirst ,  let  him  come  unto  me  and 
drink}  The  coming  to  which  we  are  invited  is  in¬ 
deed  a  spiritual  coming;  but  it  involves  the  presence, 
knowledge,  and  power  of  the  Helper.  In  short,  all 
these  promises  and  invitations  are  conceived  IN  THE 
STYLE  OF  Deity.  Aside  from  God,  no  other  being 
but  Jesus  could  make  them  without  outraging  our 
reverential  feelings. 

Jesus  made,  indeed,  no  general  affirmation  of  His 
omnipresence.  But  He  denied  what  is  inconsistent 
with  it ;  and  asserted  particulars,  the  truth  of  which 
is  inconceivable  without  it,  and  whose  truth  is  sus¬ 
tained  by  all  the  past  and  present  experience  of 
Christians  and  the  Church. 

50.  JESUS  CLAIMED  UNLIMITED  POWER. 

In  the  same  way  Jesus  declared  that  His  power  is 
without  limits.  There  is  no  general  declaration  to 
this  effect ;  but  there  are  many  assertions  of  the  pos¬ 
session  and  exercise  of  power,  with  an  ignoring  in 
every  case  of  all  limitations.  When  the  father  of  the 
possessed  boy  said  to  Jesus:  “  If  thou  canst  do  any¬ 
thing,  have  mercy  on  us  and  help  us  ;  ”  Jesus  replied  : 
If  thou  canst,  believe  ;  all  things  are  possible  to  him  that 


1  Mat.  xi.  28. 


2  John  vii.  37. 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS,  m 


bclieveth ?  Diseases  and  devils  were  subject  to  Him,  as 
the  event  immediately  proved.  Of  His  people,  He 
said  :  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life ,  and  they  shall 
never  perish ,  neither  shall  any  man  (any  one)  pluck 
them  out  of  my  hand ?  He  put  Himself  in  the  exer¬ 
cise  of  this  power,  on  behalf  of  His  people,  by  the 
side  of  His  Father;  for  He  immediately  added  :  My 
Father  which  gave  them  me  is  greater  than  all ,  and  no 
man  is  able  to  pluck  them  out  of  my  Father  s  hand .  / 

and  my  Father  arc  one?  The  argument  here  is  just  as 
elsewhere,  namely,  What  the  Father  doeth,  the  Son 
also  does,  and  does  it  as  effectually.4  No  power  in 
the  universe  can  prevail  against  Him  as  He  protects 
His  chosen  ones.  Just  so  He  said:  On  this  rock  1 
vuill  build  my  church ,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  it?  He  defies  the  powers  of  hell,  and 
keeps  His  Church  safe. 

In  his  solemn  answer  to  the  high-priest,  Jesus  said  : 
Hereafter  shall  ye  see  the  Son  of  man  sitting  at  the 
right  hand  of  power  and  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven? 
In  these  words  He  claimed  that  He  will  share  in  the 
exercise  of  Divine  power,  as  He  used  phraseology 
borrowed  from  the  Psalms  which  He  also  applied  to 
Himself :  The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  at  my 
right  hand  until  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  foot¬ 
stool?  Still  another  passage  in  a  Psalm,  referring  to 

1  Mark  ix.  23.  2  John  x.  28.  8  John  x.  29,  30. 

-  John  v.  1 7,  18,  19  ;  see  §  67.  6 7  Mat.  xvi.  18,  §  107 

6  Mat.  xxvi.  64  ;  Mark  xiv.  62  ;  Luke  xxii.  69. 

7  Ps.  cx.  1  ;  Mat.  xxii.  44. 


I  12 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


Christ,  says  :  “  Thou  hast  put  all  things  under  his 
feet.”  1 

Jesus  claimed  thus  the  possession  and  exercise  of 
a  power  superior  to  all  bodily  and  mental  diseases  of 
men,  and  to  the  strength  of  devils,  adequate  also  to 
the  protection  of  every  individual  believer,  and  of 
His  whole  Church  against  the  marshalled  hosts  of 
hell ;  that  He  shares  in  the  power  of  God,  sitting  at 
His  right  hand,  and  shall  at  length  subdue  every  foe 
and  bring  him  “  under  His  feet.” 

51.  JESUS  ABOVE  ALL  CREATURES  IN  DIGNITY. 

In  asserting  His  dignity,  as  in  respect  of  His  knowl¬ 
edge  and  power,  Jesus  spoke  in  the  concrete,  not  in 
the  general.  He  finds  no  one  equal  to  Himself  but 
the  Father;  He  is  greater  than  all  things  and  all 
men.  There  is  in  His  language  about  Himself 
an  absence  of  limitations  suggestive  of  infinity,  some¬ 
thing  like  the  shoreless  ocean  and  the  unbounded 
sky.  Whatever  else  other  than  God  is  brought 
into  competition  with  Flim  has  limitations,  and  so 
fails  in  the  comparison.  Jesus  was  well  aware  of  the 
limitations  of  other  beings,  but  knew  of  none  in 
Himself.  Was  the  temple  sacred  as  the  dwelling- 
place  of  the  Most  High?  I  say  unto  you  that  in  this 
place  is  one  greater  than  the  temple ?  Was  the  Sab¬ 
bath  established  and  hallowed  by  God  ?  The  Son  of 
man  is  Lord  even  of  the  Sabbath  day?  Solomon  was 


1  Ps.  viii.  6  ;  Heb.  ii.  6-9. 

3  Mat.  xii.  8  ;  Mark  ii.  28  ;  Luke  vi.  5. 


2  Mat.  xii.  6. 


CHARACTER  AND  A  T TRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  \ 


a  great  and  wise  king :  but,  A  greater  than  Solomon  is 
here }  Jonah  was  a  prophet  of  God,  but  Jesus,  al¬ 
ways  without  fear  of  reaching  His  own  limit,  shrunk 
not  from  asserting :  A  greater  than  Jojias  is  here} 

Thus  kings  and  prophets,  the  temple  and  the  Sab¬ 
bath,  are  inferior  to  Jesus;  He  is  greater  than  they 
all.  Who  is  it  who  can  rightly  call  himself  Lord  of 
the  Sabbath?  Certainly  no  other  than  He  who  in¬ 
stituted  the  Sabbath.  As  for  himself,  Jesus  puts  in 
a  claim  of  honor  and  so  of  dignity,  equal  to  that  of 
the  Father:  That  all  men  should  honor  the .  Son  even 
as  they  honor  the  Father :  he  that  honor eth  not  the  Son 
honor eth  not  the  Father  which  hath  sent  him }  Ele¬ 
ments  of  this  dignity,  and  reasons  for  this  claim  to 
honor,  appear  all  along  our  line  of  inquiry. 

52.  JESUS’  SOVEREIGNTY  OF  WILL. 

Jesus  always  spoke  as  a  sovereign — used  a  style 
which  no  mere  subject  could  rightly  use.  Even  in 
regard  to  the  Father  He  did  not  speak  as  a  mere 
subject. 

When  a  leper  came  to  Him  kneeling,  and  besought 
Him,  saying:  “Lord,  if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make 
me  clean,”  He  said:  I  will:  be  thou  clean}  He  did 
not  rebuke  the  poor  man  for  thinking  that  it  depend¬ 
ed  on  His  will:  that  recognition  of  His  sovereignty 
pleased  Him,  and  secured  the  desired  help,  exactly 
in  the  line  of  the  recognition.  “  If  thou  wilt  ” — “  I 
will.” 

1  Mat.  xii.  41,  42  ;  Luke  xi.  31,  32.  "  John  v.  23. 

3  Mark  i.  41,  “  I  will,”  Greek,  ©Mw.  Mat.  viii.  3  ;  Luke  v.  13. 


1 T4 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


Jesus  has  an  elect  people  chosen  by  Himself:  / 
know  whom  I  have  chosen }  They  (the  angels)  shall 
gather  together  his  elect ?  He  is  sovereign  in  receiv¬ 
ing  applicants  for  His  grace ;  and  regenerating  them. 
Him  that  cometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out .3  As 
the  Father  raiscth  up  the  dead  and  quickeneth  them , 
even  so  the  Son  quickeneth  whom  he  will  (quickeneth, 
that  is,  maketh  spiritually  alive).4  He  is  sovereign  in 
ordering  the  term  of  life  of  His  servants :  If  I  will 
that  he  (J  ohn)  tarry  till  I  come ,  what  is  that  to  thee  ? 5 
But  nowhere  did  Jesus  make  higher  claims  of  sover¬ 
eignty  than  in  those  memorable  words  :  All  things  are 
delivered  unto  me  of  my  Father  ;  and  no  man  (no  one) 
knoweth  the  Son  but  the  Father ,  neither  knoweth  any 
man  (any  one)  the  Father  save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whom¬ 
soever  the  Son  will  (literally,  may  wish  id)  reveal  him.6 
Jesus  here  claimed  the  prerogative  of  sovereignty  of 
will  in  a  matter  of  the  highest  possible  moment  to  a 
creature,  that  of  his  salvation:  for  as  Jesus  himself 
said:  “To  know  God  is  life  eternal.” 7 

To  sum  up  the  declarations  of  Jesus  on  this  point 
of  His  sovereignty  of  will  :  He  acts  according  to  His 
own  will  in  working  miracles,  in  choosing  His  people, 
in  receiving  those  who  come  to  Him,  in  quickening 
them  to  a  new  spiritual  life  and  revealing  God  tc 
them,  and  in  appointing  to  each  his  time  and  work 

Hohn  xiii.  18.  2  Mat.  xxiv.  31  ;  Mark  xiii.  27. 

3  John  vi.  3 7.  4  John  v.  21,  ov $  6eael  faoncHti,  makes  aizv 

whom  He  pleases.  Jesus  is  speaking  here  of  spiritual  life  (see  v 

25)  ;  and  not  till  v.  28,  of  the  resurrection  of  bodies. 

6  John  xxi.  22.  6  Mat.  xi.  27  ;  Luke  x.  22.  7  John  xvii.  3. 


CHARACTER  AND  A  TTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  i  j  5 


of  life.  Finally,  in  saying  that  all  things  were  deliv¬ 
ered  unto  Flim,  He  claimed  sovereign  power  over  all. 

We  must  not,  however,  so  understand  the  sover¬ 
eignty  of  the  Son  as  to  suppose  Him  independent  of 
the  Father.  Fie  exercises  His  sovereignty  in  the 
world,  in  the  church,  in  heaven  —  everywhere,  in 
most  cordial  and  close  harmony  with  the  purposes 
of  God.1 

53.  JESUS  CLAIMED  SUPREME  AUTHORITY. 

Jesus  claimed  also  an  unlimited  Authority.  He 
had  full  control  over  His  own  life,  so  that  no  creature 
had  any  power  over  it.  /  lay  down  my  life  that  I 
might  take  it  again.  No  man  (no  one)  taketh  it  from 
me  ;  but  I  lay  it  down  of  myself.  I  have  power  to  lay  it 
down ,  and  I  have  power  to  take  it  again?  What  other 
being  could  say  this  of  himself? 

Jesus’  authority  extends  to  the  conferring  of  eter¬ 
nal  life  on  His  people  :  As  thou  hast  given  him  power 
over  all  flesh  that  he  should  give  eternal  life  to  as  many 
as  thou  hast  given  him?  He  has  power,  the  author¬ 
ity  of  the  possessor,  over  all  that  the  Father  hath: 
A  ll  things  that  the  Father  hath  are  mine  FA  nd  all 
mine  are  thine ,  and  thine  are  mine?  His  word  has  all 
authority.  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away ,  but  my 
word  shall  not  pass  away?  Jesus’  word,  then,  has  au¬ 
thority  equal  to  that  of  God’s  law,  of  which  the  same 

J  See  §65,  p.  142.  2  John  x.  17,  18. 

3  John  xvii.  2.  “  Power,”  Greek  et-ovoiav,  authority. 

4  John  xvi.  15.  5  John  xvii.  10. 

6  Mat.  xxiv.  35  ;  Mark  xiii.  31  ;  Luke  xxi.  33. 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


1 1 6 

thing  is  said :  “  Till  heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or 
one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law  till  all  be 
fulfilled.”  Nay,  His  authority  is  universal  and  su¬ 
preme  :  All  things  are  delivered  unto  me  of  my  Father } 
All  power  (authority)  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in 
earth}  . 

54.  JESUS’  AUTHORITY  EXTENDS  OVER  ANGELS  AND 

DEVILS. 

The  words  of  Jesus  last  quoted  are  not  idle  words  ; 
for,  first,  Angels  are  subject  to  Him  :  Thou  shalt  see 
greater  things  than  these :  For  Verily,  verily ,  I  say 
unto  you,  Hereafter  shall  ye  see  heaven  open,  and  the 
angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending  upon  the  Son 
of  man?  Not  as  when  they  were  seen  by  Jacob 
ascending  and  descending  to  minister  to  him,  nor  as 
they  minister  to  all  the  “  heirs  of  salvation,”  though 
of  a  higher  order  of  beings  than  those  they  minister 
to;  for  that  would  not  be  “a  greater  thing”  than 
the  exhibition  of  Jesus’  supernatural  knowledge  which 
Nathanael  had  just  witnessed.  It  was  because  they 
were  to  wait  on  and  serve  Jesus,  as  servants  do  their 
king,  that  it  would  appear  “  a  greater  thing.” 

This  they  did  in  Gethsemane  in  His  agony,  and  at 
His  resurrection  and  ascent  to  heaven.  He  could 
have  commanded  their  services  to  any  extent  : 
Thinkcst  thou  that  I  can  not  now  pray  to  my  Father 
and  he  shall  presently  give  me  more  than  twelve  legions 


1  Mat.  xi.  27  ;  Luke  x.  22. 
3  John  i.  51. 


3  Mat.  xxviii.  18. 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  \\j 


of  atigelsP  Jesus  does  employ  them  for  the  benefit 
of  His  people  :  I  Jesus  have  sent  mine  angel  to  testify 
unto  you  these  things  in  the  churches ?  Unto  the  angel 
of  the  church  of  Ephesus ,  Smyrna,  Pergamos,  Thya- 
tira,  Sardis,  Philadelphia,  Laodicea,  write?  Angels 
shall  be  agents  of  Jesus  at  the  day  of  judgment  : 
The  Son  of  man  shall  send  forth  his  angels,  and  they 
shall  gather  out  of  his  kingdom  all  things  that  offend, 
and  them  which  do  iniquity ,  and  shall  cast  them  into  a 
furnace  of  fire?  And  then  shall  he  send  his  angels, 
and  shall  gather  together  his  elect  from  the  four  winds, 
from  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth  to  the  uttermost 
part  of  heaven ?  And  he  shall  send  his  angels  with  a 
great  sound  of  a  trumpet,  and  they  shall  gather  together 
his  elect? 

Jesus  has  authority  also  over  Devils.  Devils  were 
vanquished  by  Him. 

In  the  wilderness,  when  tempted  by  the  devil,  He 
conquered  the  tempter,  saying:  Get  thee  hence,  Satan. 
Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan?  He  prevailed  over  Devils, 
delivering  the  possessed  :  I  cast  out  devils  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,8  by  the  finger  of  God?  He  gets  and  holds  the 
victory  over  Satan  :  When  a  strong  man  armed  keepeth 
his  place  his  goods  are  in  peace :  but  when  a  stronger  than 

1  Mat.  xxvi.  53. 1  2 * *  Rev.  xxii.  16. 

3  Rev.  ii.  1,  8,  12,  18  ;  ch.  iii.  1,  7,  14.  “Angel,”  Greek  uyyelcp. 

But  the  word  in  these  places  is  generally  and  perhaps  rightly 

considered  to  mean  the  pastors  of  the  respective  churches.  So 

the  “  angel  ”  meant  in  ch.  xxii.  16  may  mean  John  himself. 

*  Mat.  xiii.  41,  42.  5  Mark  xiii.  27.  6 7  Mat  xxiv.  31. 

7  Mat.  iv.  10  ;  Luke  iv.  8.  8  Mat.  xii.  28.  9  Luke  xi.  20. 


1 1 8  CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 

h  '  shall  come  upon  him  and  overcome  him ,  he  taketh 
from  him  all  his  armor  wherein  he  trusted  and  divideth 
his  spoils }  It  is  thus  He  illustrated  His  contest  with 
and  His  victory  over  Satan. 

The  success  of  Jesus’  kingdom  is  the  fall  of  Satan’s 
power.  The  seventy  returned  again  with  joy,  saying : 
Lord,  even  the  Devils  are  subject  unto  us  through 
Thy  name.  And  He  said  unto  them  :  I  beheld  Satan 
as  lightning  fall  from  heavens  Now  (when  He,  Jesus, 
was  about  to  die),  now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world : 
now  shall  the  prince  of  this  zvorld  be  cast  out.1 2 3  This 
conquest  over  Satan  is  an  important  item  of  that  sub¬ 
jection  of  all  enemies  to  Him,  which  is  predicted  in 
the  words  which  Jesus  applied  to  Himself :  The  Lord 
said  unto  my  Lord ,  Sit  thou  at  my  right  hand  until  L 
make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool l  The  chief  of  these 
enemies  and  the  leaders  of  the  rest  are  the  devil  and 
his  angels. 

55.  THE  EXERCISE  BY  JESUS  OF  THESE  POWERS 

AND  PREROGATIVES. 

They  are  not  empty  possessions  in  Jesus’  hands: 
He  exercises  them  continually  and  efficiently.  His 
words  already  quoted  show  this,  and  they  will  be 
confirmed  by  those  yet  to  be  adduced. 

Jesus  acts  with  the  Father  in  Creation,  Providence, 
and  Moral  Government  :  My  Father  worketli  hitherto 

1  Luke  xi.  22  ;  Mat.  xii.  29  ;  Mark  iii.  27.  See  §  38,  p.  82. 

2  Luke  x.  17,  18.  3  John  xii.  31. 

4-Ps.  cx.  1  ;  Mat.  xxii.  44  ;  Mark  xii.  36  ;  Luke  xx.  42,  43,  44. 


CHARACTER  AND  ATTRIBUTES  OF  JESUS.  j  \g 

and  I  work }  What  things  soever  he  (the  Father)  doeth , 
these  also  doeth  the  Son  likewise.  He  says  to  the 
Church  in  Philadelphia  :  Behold  I  have  set  before  thee 

an  open  door ,  and  no  man  can  shut  it . I  will 

also  keep  thee  from  the  hour  of  temptation  (trial)  which 
shall  come  upon  all  the  world.'  These  word?  present 
Jesus  to  us  in  the  very  exercise  of  Providential  con¬ 
trol  over  men  and  over  whatever  other  beings  and 
agencies  can  affect  the  condition  of  His  churches 
Again,  He  said  :  These  things  saith  the  Son  of  God , 
who  hath  his  eyes  like  unto  a  flame  of  fire,  and  his  feet 
are  like  fine  brass l  The  eyes  and  the  feet  are  in¬ 
struments  of  action  ;  and  Jesus  by  such  a  description 
of  His  eyes  and  feet,  declares  that  He  maintains 
efficient  oversight  over  the  world.  But  an  efficient 
providential  oversight  over  the  world  calls  for  the 
exercise  of  powers  and  attributes  just  such  as  we  have 
already  seen  Jesus  claimed. 

56.  IN  THE  EXERCISE  OF  THESE  PREROGATIVES 

JESUS  MAKES  LAWS  AND  ADMINISTERS  THEM. 

He  did,  indeed,  establish  and  fulfill  the  law  of  God  : 
Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy  the  law  and  the 
prophets  :  I  am  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfill l 
Yet  He  did  not  act  as  a  mere  Agent.  As  He  claimed 
the  possession  of  sovereignty,  He  also  exercised  it 
by  making  laws  Himself:  Ye  have  heard  that  it  was 
said  by  (or  to)  them  of  old  time ,  Thou  shalt  not  kill. 


1  John  v.  1 7. 
4  Rev.  ii.  18. 


2  John  v.  19,  20. 


3  Rev.  iii.  8-10. 
6  Mat.  v.  1 7. 


120 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  W I TN ESS. 


.  .  .  .  But  I  say  unto  you}  Just  so  repeatedly  in  that 
discourse,  Jesus  interprets,  corrects,  sets  aside,  and 
establishes  laws  by  His  simple  authority  expressed 
by  “  But  I  say  unto  you}'  Just  so  elsewhere  :  Arid  I 
say  unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife  except 
it  be  for  fornication ,  and  shall  marry  another ,  com¬ 
mit  teth  adultery } 

Jesus  regarded  His  own  instructions  and  laws  as  . 
binding  on  all  men.  He  commanded  His  ministers  : 
Go  teach  all  nations ,  ....  teaching  them  to  observe 
all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you}  To 
those  who  obey  the  word  of  His  ministers,  He  prom¬ 
ises  salvation,  and  to  the  disobedient  He  threatens 
ruin  :  Whosoever  shall  fall  on  this  stone  shall  be  broken  ; 
but  on  whomsoever  it  shall  fall  it  will  grind  him  to 
powder}  To  fall  on  the  Stone  (which  is  Jesus)  is  to 
disapprove  and  reject  the  doctrine  of  Christ.  By 
this  a  man  loses  the  blessings  which  Christ  bestows, 
and  in  the  end  is  fallen  upon  by  the  Stone,  that  is, 
punished  by  Jesus,  the  future  Judge.  Thus  the  same 
man  who  falls  on  the  Stone  is  ultimately  fallen  on 
by  it.  The  damage  from  falling  on  the  Stone  is 
fatal,  but  is  only  preliminary  to  the  final  ruin  which 
the  last  sentence  of  the  Judge  shall  bring  upon  the 
unbeliever. 

Jesus  closed  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  with  the 
words  :  Therefore  whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of 


1  Mat.  v.  21,  22,  28,  32,  34,  39,  etc.  See  §  12,  p.  20. 

2  Mat  xix.  9  ;  Mark  x.  1 1  ;  Luke  xvi.  18. 

3  Mat.  xxviii.  19,  20.  4  Mat.  xxi.  44;  Luke  xx.  18. 


CIIA  RA  C  TER  AND  AT  TRIE  U  TE  S  OF  JESUS.  I2i 

mine  and  doeth  them ,  I  will  liken  him  unto  a  wise  man 
which  built  his  house  upon  a  rock:  And  the  rain  de¬ 
scended,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the  zvinds  blew ,  and 
beat  upon  that  house,  and  it  fell  not ;  for  it  was  found¬ 
ed  upon  a  rock .  A  nd  every  one  that  heareth  these  say¬ 
ings  of  mine,  and  doeth  them  not,  shall  be  likened  unto 
a  foolish  man  which  built  his  house  upon  the  sand. 
And  the  ram  descended,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the 
winds  blew,  and  beat  upon  that  house ,  and  it  fell,  and 
great  was  the  fall  of  it.1 

Such  is  the  authority  of  what  Jesus  called  “  these 
sayings  of  mine.”  They  are  binding  on  men  ;  and 
the  penalty  for  disobeying  them  will  be  inflicted  at 
the  last  day. 

They  who  heard  Jesus  utter  this  Discourse  were 
astonished  at  His  doctrine,  because  “  he  taught  as 
one  having  authority,  and  not  as  the  scribes/’  It 
was  the  majesty  of  the  Teacher’s  tone  and  bearing 
which  impressed  them. 

We  see  thus  that  Jesus  claimed  authority  over  His 
own  life,  over  all  men  and  their  eternal  destinies,  and 
over  angels  and  devils.  His  word  has  the  same 
authority  as  the  law  of  God,  and  is  just  as  unchange¬ 
able.  Finally,  ALL  AUTHORITY  is  in  His  hands  both 
“  in  heaven  and  in  earth  :  ”  THE  UNIVERSE  OF  God 
is  subject  to  Him. 

Studying  closely  what  Jesus  declared  in  regard  to 
His  sovereign  authority  and  His  exercise  of  it  in  the 
administration  of  the  world,  we  shall  find  hinted 


Mat.  vii.  24-27  ;  Luke  vi.  47-49. 
6 


1 


122 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


everywhere  one  controlling  law  of  its  action,  namely, 
that  of  perfect  harmony  with  the  will  and  govern¬ 
ment  of  the  Father  :  but  this  law  of  its  action  is  not 
a  limiting,  restraining  law  ;  for,  if  it  were,  His  will 
would  not  be  sovereign,  as  He  declares  it  is.  Har¬ 
mony  with  the  Father’s  will  is  the  Law  of  its  Free 
Action.  This  is  a  necessary  result  of  the  Perfection 
of  each  of  the  Persons,  and  of  the  essential  relation 
which  exists  between  the  Father  and  the  Son.  To 
the  study  of  this  relation  we  therefore  turn,  listening 
as  ever  only  to  the  words  of  Jesus.  In  the  mean¬ 
time  remember  what  we  have  already  learned  con¬ 
cerning  His  attributes. 

57.  SUMMARY  OF  JESUS’  TEACHINGS  REGARDING 

HIS  ATTRIBUTES. 

We  have  learned  from  Jesus’  own  lips  that  He  is 
Unsearchable  in  His  nature  to  all  but  God,  Eternal, 
the  Creator  of  all  created  things,  Unlimited  in  Knowl¬ 
edge,  in  Presence  and  in  Power,  in  Dignity  above  all, 
Sovereign  in  Will  and  Action,  Lord  of  all  creatures, 
Maker  and  Administrator  of  Laws  over  men,  and 
Executor  of  rewards  and  punishments  on  men  ac¬ 
cording  to  them. 

Mere  humanity  is  inadequate  as  a  substratum  for 
the  possession  and  exercise  of  such  powers  and 
authority.  Angelic  or  any  other  creature -nature 
would  also  certainly  fail.  Does  Jesus  in  His  teach¬ 
ings  meet  this  exigency,  and  avow  a  nature  in  keep¬ 
ing  with  His  claims?  An  answer  to  this  question 
we  seek  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


JESUS’  RELATIONS  TO  THE  FATHER. 

58.  JESUS  CLAIMS  TO  BE  THE  SON  OF  GOD. 

In  regard  to  this  point  we  wish  first  to  present  the 
facts  as  they  lie  on  the  surface  of  the  recorded  words 
of  J  esus.  He  uses  the  term  “  My  Father/’  referring 
to  God,  or  “  His  (the  Son  of  man’s)  Father,”  about 
sixty  times  ;  the  term  “The  Father”  with  a  direct 
reference  to  Himself  as  Son,  thirty  times  ;  and  with¬ 
out  such  direct  reference  many  times  more.  In  direct 
address  He  uses  the  terms,  Father,  O  Father,  Abba 
Father,  My  Father,  fourteen  times.  A  few  specimens 
of  each  form  will  be  given. 

First  of  the  term  “  My  Father,”  or  “  His  Father.” 

He  that  doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven}  Him  will  /  confess  before  my  Father  which 
is  in  heaven ?  Every  plant  which  my  heavenly  Father 
hath  not  planted?  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father?  / 
appoint  unto  you  a  kingdom  as  my  Father  hath  ap¬ 
pointed  unto  me?  I  send  the  promise  of  my  Father 
upon  you?  I  am  come  in  my  Father  s  name?  If  I  do 
?iot  the  works  of  my  Father?  I  am  the  true  vine,  and 

1  Mat.  vii.  21,  ch.  xii.  50.  2  Mat.  x.  32,  33  ;  Rev.  iii.  5. 

3  Mat.  xv.  13.  4 *  Mat.  xxv.  34.  6  Luke  xxii.  29. 

6  Luke  xxiv.  49.  7  John  v.  43.  8  John  x.  37. 

(123) 


124 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


my  Father  is  the  husbandman}  The  Son  of  man  shall 
come  in  the  glory  of  his  Father ? 

Examples  of  the  term  “  The  Father,”  with  direct 
reference  to  Himself  as  Son,  are  as  follows  :  No  man 
knoweth  the  Son  but  the  Father?  The  Son  can  do  noth¬ 
ing  of  himself  ’  but  what  he  seeth  the  Father  do?  As 
the  Father  raiseth  up  the  dead  and  quickeneth  them , 
even  so  the  Son  quickeneth  whom  he  will?  For  the 
Father  judgeth  no  man,  but  hath  committed  all  judg¬ 
ment  unto  the  Son  :6  That  all  men  should  honor  the  Son 
even  as  they  honor  the  Father? 

Use  of  the  term  “  The  Father”  without  such  dis¬ 
tinct  reference  to  Himself  as  Son,  occurs  as  follows  : 
The  works  which  the  Father  hath  given  me  to  finish? 
The  Father  himself  which  hath  Sent  me  hath  borne 
'  witness  of  me?  Do  not  think  that  I  will  accuse  you  to 
the  FathcrF  Him  hath  God  the  Father  sealed .u  The 
Spirit  of  truth  which  procccdeth  from  the  Father ?2 

Cases  of  direct  address  are  :  I  thank  thee,  0  Father ?3 
Even  so,  Father  S  Abba  Father,  all  things  are  possible 
unto  theeS  Father ,  the  hour  is  come}6  And  now,  O 
Father ,  glorify  thou  me}1 4 *  Father,  if  thou  be  willing 
remove  this  cup  from  meS  Father ,  forgive  them}9 
Father ,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit?6 


1  John  xv.  i.  2  Mat.  xvi.  27.  8  Mat.  xi.  27  ;  Luke  x.  22. 


4  John  v.  19. 

7  John  v.  23. 

10  John  v.  45. 

13  Mat.  xi.  25,  26. 

16  John  xvii.  1. 

19  Luke  xxiii.  34. 


6  John  v.  2i. 

8  John  v.  36. 

11  John  vi.  27. 

J4  Luke  x.  21. 

17  John  xvii.  5. 

20  Luke  xxiii.  46. 


6  John  v.  22. 

9  John  v.  37. 

12  John  xv.  26. 

15  Mark  xiv.  36. 
18  Luke  xxii.  42. 


JESUS’  EE  LA  TIO  NS  TO  THE  FA  THEE. 


125 


As  regards  the  name  Son,  the  facts  are  similar : 
Jesus  allowed  Himself  to  be  called  the  Son  of  God  both 
by  evil  spirits  and  by  believers  in  Him.  Nathanael 
said:  Rabbi,  thou  art  the  Son  of  God.  Jesus  said  : 
Because  I  said ,  I  sazv  thee  under  the  fig-tree ,  believest 
thou  ? 1  Peter  said  :  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
the  living  God.  Jesus  answered  :  Blessed  art  thou , 
Simon  Bar-jona,  for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it 
unto  thee ,  but  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven ? 

Jesus  is  nine  times  reported  as  calling  Plimself  the 
Son  of  God,  or,  in  direct  address  to  God,  thy  Son. 

For  God  sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn 
the  world?  The  hour  is  coming,  and  now  is,  when  the 
dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God?  To  the 
blind  man  cured  :  Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son  of  God? 
He  answered  and  said  :  Who  is  he,  Lord,  that  I  might 
believe  on  him?  And  Jesus  said:  Thou  hast  both 
seen  him  and  it  is  he  that  talketh  with  thee?  Say  ye 
of  him  whom  the  Father  hath  sanctified  and  sent  into 
the  world ,  Thou  blasphemest  because  I  said  I  am  the 
Son  of  God  ? 6  Of  Lazarus,  Jesus  said  :  This  sickness 
is  not  unto  death,  but  for  the  glory  of  God,  that  the  Son 
of  God  might  be  glorified  thereby?  These  things  saith 
the  Son  of  God?  The  high-priest  asked  him:  Art 
thou  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  blessed  ?  And  Jesus 
said  :  lam?  His  enemies  said,  as  He  hung  upon  the 

1  John  i.  50. 

2  Mat.  xvi.  1 7.  As  to  evil  spirits,  see  Mark  iii.  11,  12  ;  v.  1-7. 

3  John  iii.  17. 1 2 3  4  John  v.  25.  5J°hm  ix.  35-37. 

6  John  x.  36.  7Johnxi.  4.  3  Rev.  ii.  18. 

9  Mark  xiv.  61,  62  ;  Mat.  xxvi.  63,  64  ;  Luke  xxii.  70. 


126 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


cross:  He  trusted  in  God  ;  let  him  deliver  him  now  if 
he  will  have  him  ;  for  he  said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God} 

At  other  times  Jesus  spoke  of  Himself  as  THE 
SON — often,  as  we  have  seen,  in  connection  with  the 
correlative  term,  Father.  Other  cases  are  :  For  the 
Father  loveth  the  Son.2  That  every  one  which  seeth 
the  Son  and  believeth  on  him  may  have  ever  last  mg  life } 
If  the  Son ,  therefore ,  shall  make  you  free }  That  the 
Father  may  be  glorified  in  the  Son.5 

Twice  Jesus  called  Himself  THE  ONLY  BEGOTTEN 
SON.  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  be¬ 
gotten  Son }  He  that  believeth  riot  is  condemned  already 
because  he  hath  not  believed  in  the  name  of  the  only 
begotten  Son  of  God } 

It  is  manifest  that  the  terms  Father  and  Son  were 
in  Jesus’  mouth  fixed  names  constantly  used  of  God 
and  Himself  respectively. 

But  this  fact  would,  of  itself,  have  but  little  signifi¬ 
cance  ;  for  Jesus  taught  that  God  is  the  Father  of  all 
believers,  and  He  authorizes  them  to  pray,  saying: 
“  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven.”  And  if  God  is 
our  Father,  then  are  we  His  children.  Accordingly 
Paul  says  to  the  Galatian  Christians  :  “  Because  ye 
are  sons,  God  hath  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  his  Son 
into  your  hearts  crying,  Abba,  Father.8  Good  men 
are  called  in  the  Old  Testament,  sons  of  God.  “  The 
sons  of  God  saw  the  daughters  of  men  that  they  were 
fair.”9  God  called  the  nation  of  Israel  His  son. 

1  Mat.  xxvii.  43.  2  John  v.  20.  8  John  vi.  40. 

4  John  viii.  36.  6 7  John  xiv.  13.  6  John  iii.  16. 

7  John  iii.  18.  8  Gal.  iv.  6.  9  Gen.  vi.  2. 


JESUS'  RELA  TIONS  TO  THE  FA  THER. 


"  Israel  is  my  son,  even  my  first-born.”  1  “  When 

Israel  was  a  child  then  I  loved  him  and  called  my 
son  out  of  Egypt.”  2  God  called  Solomon  and  the 
kings  of  his  line,  sons.  “  I  will  be  his  father  and  he 
shall  be  my  son.”3  These  words  of  the  prophet,  the 
writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  applies  directly 
to  Christ.  Angels  are  also  called  sons  of  God. 
“  There  was  a  day  when  the  sons  of  God  came  to 
present  themselves  before  the  Lord.”  4  “  When  the 

morning  stars  sang  together  and  all  the  sons  of  God 
shouted  for  joy.”  5 

Is  there,  then,  anything  peculiar  in  Jesus’  relation 
as  Son  to  God  the  Father  ?  Is  He  Son  of  God  in  a 
sense  in  which  He  has  no  fellow  among  either  men 
or  angels?  The  name  Son  occurs  in  Old  Testament 
passages  which  were  applied  by  the  ancient  Jewish 
interpreters  to  the  coming  Messiah.  In  the  Psalms 
we  read:  “Yet  have  I  set  my  King  upon  my  holy 
hill  of  Zion.  I  will  declare  the  decree :  the  Lord 
hath  said  unto  me,  Thou  art  my  Son  :  this  day  have 
I  begotten  thee.”  .  .  .  .  “  Kiss  the  Son  lest  he  be 

angry . Blessed  are  all  they  that  put  their 

trust  in  him.”  6  The  prophet  Isaiah  says:  “  For  unto 
us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given,  and  the 
government  shall  be  upon  his  shoulder :  and  his 
name  shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  the 
Mighty  God,  the  Everlasting  Father,  the  Prince  of 
Peace.”  7  Of  the  same  child,  doubtless,  the  prophet 

1  Ex.  iv.  22.  2  Hos.  xi.  i.  3  2  Sam.  vii.  14. 

4  Job  i.  6  ;  ch.  ii.  1.  6  Job  xxxviii.  7.  6  Ps.  ii.  6,  7,  12. 

7  Isa.  ix.  6. 


128 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


says :  “  The  Lord  himself  shall  give  you  a  sign  :  Be¬ 
hold,  a  virgin  shall  conceive  and  bear  a  son,  and  shall 
call  his  name  Immanuel.”1  The  New  Testament 
writers  apply  the  first  and  the  last  of  these  passages 
to  Jesus  Christ,  interpreting  rightly  the  last  name  to 
mean  God  WITH  US.2  The  Jewish  interpreters  of 
that  and  earlier  ages,  understanding  these  to  be 
prophecies  of  the  Messiah,  very  naturally  and  rightly 
spoke  of  the  Messiah  as  the  Son  of  God,  and  this  be¬ 
came  a  very  common  name  for  the  Messiah.  Na¬ 
thanael,  as  we  have  seen,  declared  his  faith  in  Jesus 
as  the  Messiah  by  the  words :  Rabbi,  thou  art  the  Son 
of  God,  thou  art  the  king  of  Israel.3  Martha  said  to 
Jesus:  I  believe  that  thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,  which  should  come  into  the  world.4  Peter,  in 
his  famous  confession,  said :  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  the  living  God.5 

But  what  idea  did  the  pious  and  intelligent  of  the 
later  Jewish  teachers  and  people  attach  to  this  name 
of  the  Messiah  ?  Did  they  understand  it  as  implying 
a  more  than  human  or  angelic  nature  ?  Reverting 
to  the  prophecies  quoted,  we  see  that  He  whom  they 
understood  to  be  the  Messiah,  is  called  “  a  Son  ;  ” 
that  God  calls  Him  His  “  Son,”  and  declares  Him  to 
be  “  begotten  ”  of  Himself.  They  saw,  too,  that  He 
was  named  “Immanuel,”  or  God -with -us;  also, 
“  Wonderful,”  “  Counsellor,”  “  the  Mighty  God,” 
“  the  Everlasting  Father.”  They  must  have  thought, 


1  Isa.  vii.  14.  2  Heb.  i.  5  ;  Mat.  i.  23.  John  i.  49. 

4  John  xi.  27.  5  Mat  xvi.  16. 


JESUS'  RELA  TIONS  TO  THE  FA  THER. 


I29 


too,  of  other  prophecies  :  “  Awake,  0  sword,  against 
my  shepherd,  against  the  man  that  is  my  fellow, 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.”  1  Again  :  “  The  Lord  whom 
ye  seek  shall  suddenly  come  to  his  temple,  even  the 
messenger  of  the  covenant  whom  ye  delight  in.” 2 
And  again  :  “  Thy  throne,  O  God,  is  for  ever  and 
ever.” 3  It  is  not  wonderful  that,  placing  implicit 
faith  in  these  oracles^  they  should  form  and  express, 
as  they  did,  more  'or  less  clear  conceptions  of  A 
Divine  NATURE  in  Christ.  To  such  a  result  their 
language  itself  (the  Chaldee)  would  contribute.  Nebu¬ 
chadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon,  saw  “  four  men  walking 
in  the  midst  of  the  fire  ”  into  which  they  had  cast 
the  three  Jewish  youths;  “  and  the  form  of  the 
fourth,”  said  he,  “is  like  a  Son  of  God.”  4  In  the 
Chaldee  language,  which  the  Babylonians  spoke,  the 
phrase,  “  a  Son  of  God,”  would  be  equivalent  to  “  A 
God.”  (See  the  remarks  on  the  term  “  Son  of  man, 
p.  41).  Nebuchadnezzar  was  a  polytheist,  and  he 
meant  to  say  just  that,  namely,  that  the  form  of  the 
fourth  in  that  company  was  “  like  a  god,”  one  of  the 
gods.  A  Jew,  who  believed  in  only  one  God,  never 
had  occasion  to  use  this  term  indefinitely  as  Nebu¬ 
chadnezzar  did.  But  when  he  found  the  Messiah 

1  Zech.  xiii.  7  ;  Mat.  xxvi.  31  ;  Mark  xiv.  27. 

2  Mai.  iii.  1.  3  Ps.  xlv.  6. 

4  Dan.  iii.  xxv.,  “  The  Son  of  God.”  The  Chaldee  is  Tib’ 

a  Son  of  God,  or,  a  son  of  the  gods.  The  word  Son  is  not  in  the 
definite  form.  Compare  on  the  similar  phrase  55$  '"1^5’  pp. 
41,  42. 


6* 


130 


CHRIST  HIS  0 WN  WITNESS. 


called  by  God  himself  in  the  Scripture,  “  my  Son/' 
and  as  such  declared  to  be  possessed  of  Divine 
attributes,  he  was  obliged  to  use  the  term  definitely, 
and  say,  “  the  Son  of  God  ;  ”  and  his  Chaldee  ver¬ 
nacular  would  help  him  to  the  conviction  that  the 
Messiah  was  a  Divine  Being,  was  God  as  a  Son,  nay, 
almost  in  Christian  language,  God  the  Son,  one  in 
mysterious  unity  of  nature  and  essence  with  the 
Almighty.  Accordingly  we  see  that  when  the  man 
Jesus  said,  My  Father  worketh  hitherto  and  I  work / 
the  Jews  sought  the  more  to  kill  Him  because  He 
said  that  God  was  His  Father,  MAKING  Himself 
EQUAL  WITH  God.  They  also  said  to  Him  :  Thou, 
being  a  man,  makest  thyself  God.2  These  words  of  the 
Jews  show  plainly  that  they,  in  calling  their  expect¬ 
ed  Messiah  the  Son  of  God,  attributed  to  Him  a 
divine  nature.  And  it  was  upon  Jesus’  calling  Him¬ 
self  the  Son  of  God  that  they  condemned  Him  for 
blasphemy.  The  first  believers  in  Jesus  shared  these 
views. 

Jesus  also  called  Himself,  as  we  have  seen,  “The 
only  begotten  Son  of  God.”  By  this  language  He 
claimed  that  He  is  Son  of  God  in  a  sense  and  by  a 
propriety  altogether  peculiar ;  that  He  sustains  a 
relation  as  Son  such  as  no  other  being  in  the  universe 
sustains. 

More  definite  teachings  concerning  His  relations 
to  the  Father  will  appear  in  what  follows. 


1  John*  v.  1 7. 


2  John  x.  33. 


JESUS'  RELA  TIONS  TO  THE  FA  THER. 


131 

59.  JESUS  AS  THE  SON  OF  GC  D  IS  LOVED  BY  THE 

FATHER. 

Who  could  better  testify  to  the  Father’s  love  than 
He  who  is  its  object  ?  In  this  matter  He  must 
speak  that  which  He  knows.1 

We  find  :  The  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  sheweth 
him  all  things  that  himself  doethl  As  to  the  date  and 
past  history  of  the  Father’s  love  :  Thou  lovedst  me 
before  the  foundation  of  the  world ?  Observe,  Jesus 
affirmed  this  in  direct  address  to  God.  He  not  only 
knew  the  fact  Himself,  but  was  sure  the  Father  knew 
it.  Again  :  That  the  world  may  know  that  thou  hast 
sent  me,  and  hast  loved  them  as  thou  hast  loved  mel 
Thai  the  love  wherewith  thou  hast  loved  me,  may  be  in 
them l  As  the  Father  hath  loved  me  so  have  I  loved 
you l  If  ye  keep  my  commandments  ye  shall  abide  in 
my  love ,  even  as  I  have  kept  my  Father  s  command¬ 
ments  and  abide  in  his  lovei  Therefore  doth  my 
Father  love  me  because  I  lay  down  my  life  that  I  might 
take  it  a  gain  l 

If,  now,  we  attempt  to  sum  up  what  Jesus  testified 
of  the  love  of  the  Father  to  Him,  we  may  say,  it  is 
eternal  ;  it  is  the  basis  and  the  spirit  of  their.mutual 
intercourse,  and  of  the  communication  by  the  Father 
to  the  Son  of  all  His  counsel  and  action  ;  it  is  the 
perpetual  spring  of  the  Father’s  love  to  the  disciples 

1  John  iii.  11.  2 3 4  John  v.  20. 

3  John  xvii.  24.  See  for  the  meaning  of  the  phrase,  p.  93,  note  3. 

4  John  xvii.  23.  5  John  xvii.  26.  8  John  xv.  9. 

7  John  xv.  10.  8  John  x.  17. 


\ 


i32 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


of  Jesus;  the  pattern,  and,  as  far  as  the  difference 
in  the  objects  permits,  the  measure  of  that  love.  The 
Father’s  love  to  the  Son  is,  in  turn,  nourished  by  the 
willing  and  perfect  obedience  of  the  Son  in  His  Me- 
ditorial  work,  and  especially  by  His  giving  His  life  a 
sacrifice  for  men. 

Heavenly  truth  all  of  it !  better  than  the  fruit  of 
Eden’s  tree  of  life  !  revealed  and  vouched  for  by 
Him  who  knows  !  And  observe  how  God  the  Father, 
one  of  the  Witnesses  for  Jesus,  testifies  to  the  same 
great  truth  :  This  is  my  beloved  Son  ! 1 

60.  THE  SON  LOVES  THE  FATHER. 

Going  to  meet  His  betrayers,  Jesus  said:  But  that 
the  world  may  know  that  I  love  the  Father .2 

That  the  Son  reciprocates  the  Father’s  love,  we  are 
ready  to  hear  and  to  believe.  But  we  are  surprised, 
perhaps,  that  so  far  as  His  recorded  words  show,  Jesus 
asserted  the  fact  but  this  once.  Still,  though  solitary 
in  the  assertion,  this  sentence  points  to  a  wonderful 
proof  of  its  truth,  namely,  the  whole  course  of  His 
final  sufferings.  That  the  world  may  k7iow  that  T  love 
the  Father,  and  as  the  Father  gave  me  commandment , 
even  so  I  do,  arise,  let  us  go  hence ; 3  that  is,  go  to  the 
betrayal,  the  capture,  the  trials  and  the  cross  !  On 

xMat.  iii.  17.  2  John  xiv.  31. 

3  Same  verse.  The  reader  will  notice  that  I  have  connected 
the  words  “  Arise,”  etc.,  with  the  preceding  sentence.  This  con¬ 
struction  is  simple,  is  adopted  by  the  best  commentators,  and 
yields  about  the  same  sense  as  the  construction  found  in  our 
common  Bibles. 


JESUS’  RELA  TIONS  TO  THE  FA  THER . 


133 


the  same  principle  the  whole  Mediatorial  course  and 
work  of  the  Son  was  a  demonstration  of  His  love  to 
the  Father.  And  why  His  Mediatorial  work  only? 
All  His  action  and  work  as  Son,  so  far  as  the  Bible 
reveals  it,  and  doubtless,  also,  so  far  as  created  intel¬ 
ligences  may  know  it,  is  seen  to  be  pervaded  and 
controlled  by  this  supreme  affection  of  Love  to  the 
Father. 

61.  THE  SON  IS  SUBORDINATE  TO  THE  FATHER. 

When  human  language  is  applied  by  men  to  the 
mutual  relations  of  the  Sacred  Persons,  of  which  rela¬ 
tions  they  can  have  no  adequate  conception,  it  were 
nothing  strange  if  the  incompetency  of  both  the  speak¬ 
ers  and  their  language  should  do  great  injustice  to  the 
subject.  Under  the  necessity  of  using  some  term  or 
other,  the  writer  feels  that  the  one  he  has  chosen  in 
the  heading  may  express  as  much  of  the  truth,  and 
as  little  untruth,  as  any  that  can  be  found.  Let  us 
note  carefully  how  Jesus  spoke  of  the  matter.  He 
seems  never  to  have  felt  any  difficulty  ;  He  did  far 
more  with  men’s  language  than  men  can  do. 

Speaking  through  John  in  Patmos,  he  said:  Him 
that  over cometh  will  I  make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of 
my  God ,  and  he  shall  go  no  more  out ;  and  I  will  write 
up 071  him  the  name  of  my  God ,  and  the  name  of 
the  city  of  my  God ,  which  is  New  Jerusalem ,  which 
cometh  dow7i  out  of  heaven  from  my  God}  Four 
times  here  He  calls  God  His  God.  Just  so  in  the 


1  Rev.  iii.  12. 


134 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


message  which  He  sent  to  His  disciples  :  I  as¬ 
cend  unto  my  Father  and  your  Father,  and  to  my 
God  and  your  God }  God  is  the  God  of  both  Jesus 
and  His  disciples.  There  is,  then,  some  likeness  be¬ 
tween  the  relation  of  Jesus  to  God  and  that  of  good 
men  to  God  ;  a  likeness  which  justifies  the  same  use 
of  the  possessive  pronoun  in  both  cases.  In  the 
case  of  mere  men  there  is  evidently  subordination  ; 
and  so  also  there  plainly  appears  to  be  in  the  other. 
When,  for  instance,  Jesus  cried  out  on  the  cross, 
My  God  !  my  God  !  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?2  and 
when  He  said,  I  am  come  in  my  Father's  name  ; 3  that 
is,  under  commission  from  Him,  and  so  with  His 
authority,  we  can  readily  apply  the  words  to  His  Medi¬ 
atorial  office  and  work  in  the  world  ;  i.  e.,  to  Him  in 
a  subordinate  place.  Much  stronger  as  to  the  fact 
of  subordination,  though  not  so  clear  as  to  the  man¬ 
ner  of  it,  are  Jesus’  words  :  My  Father  is  greater  than 
1}  He  may  say  this  in  reference  to  His  Mediatorial 
character  and  His  state  of  humiliation  in  human 
flesh.  But  the  subordination  of  Jesus  to  the  Father 
has  a  wider  scope  than  His  Mediatorship.  The  very 
terms  u  Father”  and  “Son”  imply  an  order,  a  first 
place  and  a  second  place.  The  Father  is  first  in  that 
order,  the  Son  is  second,  though  they  be  essentially 
equal  and  essentially  one.  We  shall  surely  go  wrong 
if  we  interpret  one  word  of  Jesus  forgetting  another, 
or  make  one  contradictory  to  another. 


1  John  xx.  1 7. 
3  John  v.  43. 


2  Mat.  xxvii.  46  ;  Mark  xv.  34. 
‘‘John  xiv.  28. 


JESUS'  RELA  TIONS  TO  THE  FA  THER. 


135 


62.  JESUS  IS  SUBJECT  TO  THE  FATHER’S  WILL  AND 

ORDERING. 

Jesus  recognized  His  relation  of  subjection  to  the 
Father’s  will  when,  speaking  to  Pilate,  he  said  :  Thou 
couldst  have  no  power  at  all  against  me  except  it  were 
given  thee  from  above /  The  ordering  of  God  put  Him 
in  Pilate’s  power.  When  Peter  in  the  garden  drew 
his  sword  in  His  Master’s  defense,  Jesus  checked 
him,  saying  :  The  cup  which  my  Father  hath  given  me 
shall  I  not  drink  it  ?2  He  thought  of  nothing  but 
submission  to  God’s  allotment.  He  had,  indeed, 
reached  this  point  only  after  a  mighty  struggle.  But 
during  the  whole  course  of  that  struggle  He  had 
recognized  that  it  was  His  place  to  yield  to  His 
Father’s  will  :  Not  my  will ,  but  thine  be  done l1  He 
rested  at  last  in  entire  surrender,  in  hearty  filial  sub¬ 
jection  to  the  will  of  God.  He  seems  never  to  have 
thought  of  the  Father’s  will  being  reversed  or  even 
modified  for  His  relief ;  but  submitted  Himself 
wholly  to  the  good  pleasure  of  God. 

63.  JESUS  WAS  COMMISSIONED  BY  THE  FATHER, 

AND  SENT  INTO  THE  WORLD  TO  DO  A  WORK. 

It  was  the  Mediatorial  work  that  Jesus  came  to 
do  ;  a  work  to  be  begun  on  earth  and  completed  in 
heaven. 

We  have  already  seen  Jesus  claiming  the  name  and 
office  of  Messiah.  He  declared  that  the  Father  sent 


1  John  xix.  1 1. 


2  John  xviii.  1 1. 


*  Luke  xxii.  42. 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


I S6 

Him  in  that  character.1 II  As  many  as  fifty  times,  in 
one  form  or  another,  He  repeated  the  words,  “  the 
Father  hath  sent  me.’'  In  fact  the  phrase,  “  He  that 
sent  me,”  became,  in  the  mouth  of  Jesus,  almost  a 
name  of  God.  Say  ye  of  him  whom  the  Father  hath 
sanctified  and-  sent  into  the  world ,  Thou  blasphemest  ? 2 
“  Hath  sanctified  ”  here  means,  hath  consecrated,  as¬ 
signed  to  a  specific  work  and  destiny.  I  am  come  in 
my  Father  s  name ; 3  that  is,  as  His  agent,  commis¬ 
sioned  by  Him.  The  Father  himself  which  hath  sent 
me}  He  that  sent  me  is  true }  This  is  the  Father  s 
will  which  hath  sent  me }  I  am  from  him  and  he  hath 
sent  me. 7  God  sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world  to  con¬ 
demn  ihe  world} 

Other  words  which  speak  of  His  commission  by  the 
Father  are  :  The  works  which  the  Father  hath  given 
me  to  finish}  This  commandment  have  I  received  of 
my  Father  A  As  my  Father  gave  me  commandment  even 
so  F  do  A  I  have  kept  my  Father  s  commandments .12 
God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  ordy  begotten 
Son.13  Ought  not  Christ  to  have  suffered  these  things  ? 14 
Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus  it  behooved  Christ  to  suf¬ 
fer  A  All  things  must  be  fidfilled  which  were  written 
in  the  law  of  Moses ,  and  in  the  Prophets ,  and  in  the 
Psalms  concerning  me  A 

Jesus  thus  taught  that  His  mission  and  work  as 


I  §  20.  2  John  x. 

6  John  vii.  28. 

8  John  iii.  17. 

II  John  xiv.  31. 

14  Luke  xxiv.  26. 


36.  3  John  v.  43. 

6  John  vi.  39. 

9  John  v.  36. 

12  John  xv.  10. 

15  Luke  xxiv.  46. 


4  John  v.  37. 

7  John  vii.  29. 

10  John  x.  18. 

13  John  iii.  16. 

16  Luke  xxiv.  44. 


r 


JESUS'  RE  LA  TIONS  TO  THE  FA  THER. 


137 


Messiah  was  laid  upon  Him  by  the  Father,  and  was 
undertaken  by  Him  and  carried  out  under  order  and 
direction  from  God.  Not  only  the  work  as  a  whole 
was  laid  upon  Him,  but,  as  appears  from  His  words, 
all  and  singular  the  various  parts,  acts,  and  experi¬ 
ences  connected  therewith.  All  these  together  made 
up  “  the  cup  ”  which  the  Father  put  into  His 
hands  to  drink,  the  “  baptism  ”  wherewith  He  must 
be  baptized.  No  trait  of  the  character  and  course 
of  Jesus  is  more  striking  than  this.  He  is  exhibited 
to  us  as  one  acting  under  orders,  following  a  path 
prescribed  for  Him,  and  meeting  at  each  step  a  Divine 
allotment,  always  conscientious,  and  in  all  things 
obedient.  His  diligence  found  expression  in  the 
words,  I  must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me  zvhile 
it  is  day  fi  and  at  the  close  of  His  life  He  was  able 
to  say  :  I  have  finished  the  work  which  thou  gavest  me 
to  do ? 


64.  JESUS  PRAYS  TO  TPIE  FATHER. 

This  is  another  feature  of  the  relations  existing 
between  them.  We  first  quote  the  words  in  which 
Jesus  spoke  of  His  praying.  Fie  told  Peter:  I  have 
prayed  for  thee?a  Sit  ye  here  while  I  go  and  pray 
yonder?  Thinkest  thou  that  I  cannot  now  pray  to  my 
Father  and  he  shall  presently  give  me  more  than  twelve 
legions  of  angels  f4  I  pray  for  them  (the  disciples). 
I  pray  not  that  thou  shouldst  take  them -out  of  the 


JJohnix.  4.  2Johnxvii.  4. 

3  Mat.  xxvi.  36  ;  Mark  xiv.  32. 


2a  Luke  xxii.  31,  32. 
4  Mat.  xxvi.  53. 


133 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


world}  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them 
also  which  shall  believe  on  me  through  their  word ?  I 
knew  that  thou  hearest  me  always? 

Some  of  Jesus’  prayers  are  petitions  :  others  are 
words  of  thanksgiving.  In  that  hour  Jesus  rejoiced  in 
spirit  and  said,  I  thank  thee,  0  Father,  Lord  of  heaven 
and  earth ?  At  the  grave  of  Lazarus  :  Father,  I  thank 
thee  that  thou  hast  heard  me? 

In  a  time  of  sore  conflict  Jesus  prayed  to  God  for 
help  :  Now  is  my  soul  troubled,  and  what  shall  I  say  ? 
Father,  save  me  from  this  hour?  The  only  prayer  of 
Jesus,  of  any  length,  which  is  preserved  to  us,  is  that 
made  the  last  night  of  His  life,  called  His  high-priestly 
prayer.  It  need  not  be  copied  here,  and  it  can  not  be 
condensed.* 7 *  In  it  He  prayed  for  Himself  and  for  His 
disciples  ;  and  not  only  for  those  who  were  then 
around  Him,  but  for  all  who  should  be  brought  to 
believe  in  and  love  Him.  Finally,  on  the  cross,  He 
prayed  for  those  who  crucified  Him  :  Father ,  forgive 
them  for  they  know  not  what  they  do ;  8  and,  in  His 
deepest  agony,  for  Himself :  Eli,  Eli,  lama  sabach- 
thani,  that  is  to  say,  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou 
forsaken  me f9  and  with  His  last  breath  He 
breathed  out  an  utterance  of  faith  and  trust  :  Father, 
into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit  F 

From  these  recorded  prayers  of  Jesus  and  His 
words  about  His  praying  we  learn  :  that  He  prayed 


1  John  xvii.  9,  15.  2  John  xvii.  20. 

4  Luke  x.  21  ;  Mat.  xi.  25. 

6  John  xii.  27.  7  John  xvii. 

9  Mat.  xxvii.  46  ;  Mark  xv.  34. 


s  John  xi.  42. 
6John  xi.  41,  42. 
8  Luke  xxiii.  34. 
10  Luke  xxiii.  46. 


JESUS'  RELA  TIONS  TO  THE  FA  THER.  i  ^g 

labitually;  that  in  His  prayers  He  expressed  the 
feelings  of  adoration,  filial  confidence  and  love  ;  that 
He  prayed  in  times  of  joy,  expressing  gladness  and 
thankfulness  ;  that  He  prayed  in  times  of  sadness 
and  anxiety,  and  the  more  earnestly  in  proportion  to 
the  intensity  of  His  distress;  that  He  persevered, 
wrestling  in  prayer  until  “  he  was  heard  in  that  he 
feared ;  ”  that  He  prayed  in  connection  with  the 
working  of  miracles  ;  that  He  had  assurance  of  being 
always  heard  even  in  the  largest  petitions  ;  that  He 
prayed  with  unreserved  submission  to  His  Father’s 
will  ;  and  that  He  prayed  for  men,  interceding  in  be¬ 
half  of  His  friends,  and  also  of  His  enemies. 

The  prayers  of  Jesus  had  in  them  all  the  elements 
which  enter  into  the  prayers  of  other  men,  except 
confession  of  sin  and  petition  for  forgiveness.  As 
there  is  no  admission  of  personal  guilt  in  all  He  ever 
said  to  men,  so  also  there  is  none  in  what  He  said  to 
God.  Not  even  a  sin  of  thought  does  He  ever  con¬ 
fess.  In  this  there  is  shown  a  wonderful  consistency. 
The  prayers  of  Jesus  were  real  prayers,  differing  from 
the  real  prayers  of  others  only  as  His  character  and 
relations  to  God  differed  from  ours.  There,  indeed, 
the  difference  was  immeasurable,  essential,  unchange¬ 
able.  At  every  prayer  He  went  in,  into  the  Holy  of 
holies,  saw  Him  “whom  no  man  hath  seen  nor  can 
see,”  and  was  there  “  with  God.” 

The  Scriptures  put  Jesus  by  the  side  of  us  in  praise 
also  as  well  as  prayer,  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  re¬ 
ferring  to  Jesus  that  declaration  of  the  twenty-second 
Psalm  (v.  22) :  “  I  will  declare  thy  name  unto  my 


140 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


brethren  ;  in  the  midst  of  the  church  will  I  sing 
praise  unto  thee.”  1 

65.  JESUS  AS  SON  IS  IN  THE  CLOSEST  UNION  WITH 

THE  FATHER. 

In  studying  the  words  of  Jesus  on  this  high  theme, 
we  will  attend  closely  to  the  form  of  His  expressions, 
and  group  the  passages  together  in  reference  to  their 
form,  at  the  risk  of  some  repetition  of  the  thought. 

A.  Passages  in  which  Jesus  directly  declares  His 
union  with  the  Father. 

Just  before  He  went  out  to  Gethsemane  Jesus 
said  :  Behold  the  hour  cometh,  yea ,  is  now  come ,  that  ye 
shall  be  scattered  every  man  to  his  own ,  and  shall  leave 
me  alone  :  and  yet  I  am  not  alone  because  the  Father  is 
with  me.2  Jesus  spoke  here  of  the  presence  of  the 
Father  with  Him  as  something  permanent,  intimate, 
loving,  and  sustaining.  It  was  just  what  He  had  not 
when  He  cried  :  My  God ,  why  hast  thou  forsaken 
me  ? 3 

Other  men  have  enjoyed  a  sense  of  the  helping 
presence  of  God.  God  “  was  with  ”  Joseph,4  Moses,5 
Paul.6  The  words  which  Jesus  used  here  of  God’s 
presence  with  Himself  do  not  in  themselves  mean 
any  more  than  when  used  of  these  others.  But  the 
reality  in  the  experience  of  Jesus  may  have  been,  and 
doubtless  was,  far  greater. 


2  John  xvi.  32. 

6  Ex.  iii.  12. 


1  Heb.  ii.  12. 

4  Gen.  xxxix.  2,  3,  23. 


3  Mat.  xxvii.  46. 
6  2  Tim.  iv.  17. 


JESUS'  RE  LA  TIONS  TO  THE  FA  THER. 


141 

B.  In  other  passages  Jesus  speaks  of  the  union 
subsisting  between  Himself  and  the  Father  as  a  pat¬ 
tern  of  the  relation  subsisting  between  Himself  and 
His  people  or  as  a  standard,  to  the  likeness  of  which 
the  union  of  Himself  and  His  people,  and  even  their 
union  with  one  another,  is  to  be  conformed. 

A  t  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  my  Father , 
and  ye  in  me  and  I  in  you}  That  they  all  may  be  one, 
as  thou ,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee ;  that  they 

also  may  be  one  in  us . And  the  glory  which  thou 

gave st  me  I  have  given  them,  that  they  may  be  one  as 
we  are.  I  in  them  and  thou  in  me,  that  they  may  be 
made  perfect  in  one} 

Men  know  best  about  those  relations  in  which  both 
or  one,  at  least,  of  the  parties  are  men.  We  can  form 
some  good  idea  of  the  sentiments,  sympathies,  activi¬ 
ties  actual  and  possible,  among  followers  of  Christ ; 
also  those  between  Jesus  Christ  and  those  men  who  are 
most  like  Himself,  and  especially  if  we  ourselves  have 
had  any  experiences  of  the  kind.  Jesus  says  they  resem¬ 
ble  the  experiences  of  the  relation  between  Himself 
and  the  Father.  But  however  high  such  experiences 
may  go,  they  doubtless  fall  immeasurably  short  of 
the  realities  of  the  union  of  the  Father  and  the  Son. 
Of  the  facts  in  regard  to  this  last,  we  may  learn  more 
from  further  study  of  these  words  and  others  not  yet 
brought  forward  ;  but  the  most  we  must  leave  to  the 
unrevealed  experiences  of  the  Godhead. 

C.  In  still  other  passages  Jesus  speaks  in  such  a 


1  John  xiv.  20,  See  under  §  96. 


3  John  xvii.  21,  22,  23. 


142 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


way  of  His  own  union  with  the  Father  as  to  bring  it 
into  immediate  connection  with  His  own  actions  : 

Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father  and  the 
Father  in  me  ?  the  words  that  I  speak  unto  you  I  speak 
not  of  myself ;  but  the  Father  that  dwelleth  in  me  he 
doeth  the  works.  Believe  me  that  I  am  in  the  Father 
and  the  Father  in  me :  or  else  believe  me  for  the  very 
works  sake} 

Jesus  here  referred  His  speaking  and  His  acting, 
His  teachings  and  His  miracles  to  the  efficacy  of  the 
union  which  subsists  between  Himself  and  His  Father. 
Again,  Jesus  said  :  He  that  sent  me  is  with  me :  the 
Father  hath  7iot  left  me  alone ;  for  I  do  always  those 
things  that  please  him}  The  union,  therefore,  has 
such  virtue  that  Jesus  in  all  His  acting  is  NOT  ALONE, 
but  has  the  Father  with  Him  ;  and  so  all  His  acts 
please  the  Father. 

Again  :  Though  ye  believe  not  me  (that  is,  my  naked 
assertion)  believe  the  works,  that  ye  may  know  and 
believe  that  the  Father  is  in  me  and  I  in  him}  Jesus 
claimed  that  His  miracles  proved  the  mutual  indwell¬ 
ing  of  Himself  and  the  Father.  But  they  could  do 
so  only  as  the  indwelling  of  the  Father  in  Him  was 
their  source.  Again  :  Yet  if  I  judge,  my  judgment  is 
true  ;  for  I  am  not  alo?ie,  but  I  and  the  Father  that  sent 
me}  The  presence  of  the  Father  with  Him  had  as 
its  result  His  judging  men  with  a  true  judgment. 

In  short,  Jesus  represented  the  union  existing 

1  John  xiv.  io,  1 1. 

2  John  viii.  29,  “  with  me,"  Greek  /J-sr’  tuov. 1 2  3  John  x.  38. 

4  John  viii.  16. 


JESUS'  RE  LA  TIO NS  TO  THE  FA  TILER. 


1 43 


between  Himself  and  the  Father  to  be  such  that  His 
teachings,  His  actions  and  His  judgments  of  men 
were  directly  controlled  by  it,  as  an  effect  is  control¬ 
led  by  its  cause.  He  claimed  never  to  speak  or  act 
separately  from  the  Father  :  such  independent  action 
would  be  impossible.  This  will  be  confirmed  by 
other  words  of  Jesus  which  are  still  to  follow. 

66.  AS  SON,  JESUS  RECEIVES  ALL  HIS  POWERS,  AU¬ 
THORITY  AND  ACTIVITY  FROM  THE  FATHER. 

As  the  living  Father  hath  sent  me  and  I  live  by  the 
Father,  so  he  that  eateth  me,  even  he  shall  live  by  me} 

Jesus  was  speaking  here  of  Himself  as  “  the  living 
bread  that  came  down  from  heaven.”  The  expres¬ 
sion,  I  live  by  the  Father,  is  a  deep  word,  perhaps 
goes  down  to  the  very  depths  of  its  speaker’s  being. 
For  the  life  which  Jesus  spoke  of  here  is  certainly 
not  His  bodily  life,  but  His  existence  in  all  its  extent 
and  essence.  And  the  words  assert  a  truth  about 
Him  to  which  He  compares  another  truth  concern¬ 
ing  His  people  :  As  He  lives  by  the  Father,  so  His 
people  live  by  Him.  It  is  their  spiritual  life  that  is 
spoken  of;  of  that  He  is  the  author  and  constant 
source.  The  simple  fact  of  the  reception  of  life  is 
common  to  both  Him  and  them.  The  nature  and 
mode  of  that  reception  of  life  may  be  very  dissimilar, 
as  also  the  life  itself. 

If  it  is  true  that  the  Son  “  lives  by  the  Father,” 

1  John  vi.  57.  “By  the  Father,”  Greek,  did  rbv  TzaTeqa ;  “by 
me,”  Greek,  61  efie.  Aid,  with  Accusative,  said  of  the  immediate , 
efficient  cause. 


1 44 


CHRIST  BIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


then  the  union  between  them  is  to  Him  a  vital  one. 
By  virtue  of  it  His  life  comes  constantly  and  directly 
from  God  the  Father.  Such  is*  the  meaning  of  these 
words.  What  more  can  we  do  than  just  interpret 
them  ?  To  go  any  further  and  lay  open  the  mystery 
of  that  union,  the  essence  of  which  is  this  eternal,  un¬ 
ceasing  passing  of  life  from  the  Father  to  the  Son,  is 
not  for  man  or  angel.  We  take  the  words  and  rest 
with  them,  content  with  the  fact  that  Jesus  in  them 
points  to  the  Father,  as  the  source  of  His  being — He 
is  Son. 

Not  only  His  own  life,  but  the  power  of  conferring 
life  on  men  is  received  by  Jesus  from  the  Father. 

Verily,  verily ,  I  say  unto  you ,  The  hour  is  coming 
and  now  is  when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the 
Son  of  God ;  and  they  that  hear  shall  live.  For  as  the 
Father  hath  life  in  himself ,  so  hath  he  given  to  the 
Son  to  have  life  in  himself }  ....  The  hour  is  coming 
in  the  which  all  that  are  in  the  graves  shall  hear  his 
voice  and  shall  come  forth  ;  they  that  have  done  good 
u?ito  the  resurrection  of  life ;  and  they  that  have 
done  evil  unto  the  resurrection  of  damnation .2  Thou 
hast  given  him  power  over  all  flesh,  that  he  should  give 
eternal  life  to  as  many  as  thou  hast  given  him } 

Jesus  has,  then,  power  to  give  SPIRITUAL  LIFE  to 
men  living  in  the  world,  resurrection-life  to  the  dead, 
and  also  eternal  life  to  His  people  :  and  He  receives 
that  power  from  the  Father. 

Again  :  we  find,  The  Father  hath  give?i  him  (the 


1  John  v.  25,  26. 


2  John  v.  25-29. 


8  John  xvii.  2. 


JESUS'  EELS  FLOATS  TO  THE  FA  THEE. 


145 


Son)  authority  to  execute  judgment  also ?  For  the 
Father  judgeth  no  man ,  but  hath  committed  ail  judg¬ 
ment  unto  the  Son.2 

Also  Jesus  received  from  the  Father  the  power  to 
work  miracles.  The  Father  that  dzvelleth  in  me  he 
doeth  the  works ?  If  I  with  the  finger  of  God  cast  out 
devils ? 

Again :  Jesus  received  from  the  Father  all  the 
truths  which  He  taught  to  men — all  that  He  spoke 
was  given  Him  of  God  to  speak. 

My  doctrine  is  not  mine ,  but  his  that  se?it  me.  If  any 
man  will  do  his  will  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine 
whether  it  be  of  God  or  whether  I  speak  of  myself  ? 
For  I  have  not  spoken  of  myself ;  but  the  Father  which 
sent  me  he  gave  me  a  commandment  what  I  should  say 
and  what  I  should  speak.  Whatsoever  I  speak,  therefore , 
even  as  the  Father  said  unto  me,  so  I  speak  I  I  speak 
to  the  world  those  things  which  I  have  heard  of  him? 
Then  shall  ye  know  that  I  do  nothing  of  myself  ,  but  as 
my  Father  hath  taught  me  I  speak  these  things?  1 
speak  that  which  I  have  seen  with  my  Father?  Ye 
seek  to  kill  me,  a  man  that  hath  told  you  the  truth 
which  I  have  heard  of  God?*  The  words  that  I  speak 
unto  you  I  speak  not  of  myself ,  but  the  Father  that 
dwelleth  in  me,  he  doeth  the  works?1  All  things  that  I 
have  heard  of  my  Father  I  have  made  known  unto  you?2 


1  John  v.  27. 
p.  265. 

4  Luke  xi.  20. 

7  John  viii.  26. 
10  John  viii.  40. 


On  this  part  of  the  Messiah’s  work  see  ch.  xiv., 

2  John  v.  22.  ?  John  xiv.  10. 

6  John  vii.  16,  17. *  6 * 8  John  xii.  49,  50. 

8  John  viii.  28.  9  John  viii.  38. 

13  John  xiv.  10.  12  John  xv.  15. 


7 


146 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


I  have  given  unto  them  the  words  which  thou  gavest 
me} 

Broad  as  these  declarations  are,  there  are  broader 
still  :  All  things  are  delivered  unto  me  of  my  Father  :2 
And,  All  power  (authority)  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven 
and  in  earth } 

We  now  sum  up  what  Jesus  has  said  on  these  in¬ 
teresting  points  :  the  fact  of  His  receiving  from  the 
Father,  and  what  He  receives.  On  no  matter,  per¬ 
haps,  does  He  speak  more  definitely  or  more  in  detail. 
Each  declaration  as  to  what  He  receives  from  the 
Father  is  another  declaration  of  the  fact  of  His  re¬ 
ceiving. 

Jesus  receives  from  His  Father,  Life — that  is,  His 
very  Being  ;  also  the  Power  of  Conferring  Life  on 
men,  bodily  life  in  this  world,  the  new  life  of  the 
resurrection,  spiritual  life,  and  eternal  life.  He  also 
receives  from  the  Father  the  Authority  to  Judge  men 
— all  judgment  of  men  is  put  into  His  hands.  The 
Son  also  receives  from  the  Father  all  that  He 
Teaches.  The  Father  “  showed  ”  Him,  “  taught  ”  Him, 
“  gave  to  ”  Him,  and  “  commanded  ”  Him  to  speak, 
and  “  what  to  speak  ;  ”  and  He,  the  Son,  saw,  heard, 
received  and  then  obeyed,  by  teaching  all  to  men. 
Finally,  the  Father  has  put  all  things  both  in  heaven 
and  in  earth  into  the  hands  of  the  Son  and  under  His 
authority,  and  the  Son  holding  and  exercising  this 
universal  authority  asserts  that  He  received  it  all 
from  God  the  Father. 


John  xvii.  8.  2  Mat.  xi.  27  ;  Luke  x.  22. 


3  Mat.  xxviii.  18, 


JESUS’  EEL  A  TIONS  TO  THE  FA  THEE. 


1 4  7 


Here,  as  before,  we  can  only  point  out  the  mani¬ 
fest  bearing  and  scope  of  Jesus’  words,  without  pre¬ 
suming  to  show  or  to  know  all  that  they  import. 
Yet  the  suggestion  may  be  ventured  that  not  all  that 
Jesus  said  about  the  derivation  of  His  being,  powers, 
authority,  doctrine  and  activities  from  the  Father  is 
to  be  referred  to  Him  as  the  Messiah  clothed  in 
human  flesh,  and  in  that  capacity  needing  to  receive 
from  the  Godhead,  with  His  office,  all  that  was  neces¬ 
sary  for  its  discharge ;  rather,  this  derivation  of  all 
that  the  Son  is  and  has  from  the  Father,  is  a  neces¬ 
sary  feature  of  the  Sonship.  It  is  in  perfect  keeping 
with  the  relation  of  Father  and  Son  subsisting  be¬ 
tween  them  ;  and  the  contrary  would  not  be  so.  The 
fact  of  the  Sonship  and  the  fact  of  the  derivation  of 
all  that  the  Son  has  from  the  Father,  explain  and 
confirm  each  other;  and  the  whole  is  the  true  solu¬ 
tion  of  that  wonderful  expression  of  the  Apostle, 
where,  speaking  of  the  Son,  he  says :  Who,  being  the 
brightness  of  his  (God’s)  glory  and  the  express  image 
of  his  person.1 

67.  THE  SON  DOES  THE  SAME  THINGS  AS  THE 

FATHER. 

The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself  but  what  he  sceth 
the  Father  do  ;  for  what  things  soever  he  doeth ,  these 
also  doeth  the  Son  likewise .2  My  Father  worketh  hith¬ 
erto  and  I  work.3  For  as  the  Father  raiscth  up  the 
dead  and  quickeneth  them,  even  so  the  Son  quickeneth 
whom  he  will l  For  as  the  Father  hath  life  in  him - 


1  Heb.  i.  3.  3  John  v.  19. 


3Johnv.  17.  4Johnv.2i. 


148 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS . 


self,  even  so  hath  he  given  to  the  Son  to  have  life  in 
himself}  I  and  my  Father  are  one} 

These  sayings,  which  have  all  been  quoted  before, 
are  here  repeated  with  reference  simply  to  the  point 
stated  in  the  title  to  the  section,  that  the  Son  does 
(and  so  has  the  authority  and  right  to  do)  that  which 
the  Father  does.  This  implies  equal  powers  and 
authority  with  the  Father  ;  implies  association  and 
associate  action.  As  to  the  last  word,  I  a?id  my 
Father  are  one ,  let  it  be  observed  that  Jesus  had  said 
before  :  I  give  unto  them  (my  sheep)  eternal  life ,  and 
they  shall  tiever  perish ,  neither  shall  any  man  pluck 
them  out  of  my  hand }  He  then  went  on  :  My  Father 
which  gave  them  me  is  greater  than  all ,  and  710  man 
(no  one)  is  able  to  pluck  them  out  of  my  Father  s  hand} 
Here,  then,  Jesus  presented  one  instance  of  actions 
of  the  same  kind  on  the  part  of  Himself  and  His 
Father  ;  and  He  thereupon  immediately  added  :  I  and 
my  Father  are  one.  The  least  that  these  words  could 
mean  in  this  connection  is  that  asseited  above,  that 
the  Son  does  the  same  things,  with  the  same  author¬ 
ity  and  power  as  the  Father.  And  they  may  mean, 
and  apparently  do  mean,  a  great  deal  more.  They 
in  their  terms  declare,  namely,  the  essential  equality 
and  unity  of  the  Son  with  the  Father.  If  taken  in 
this  deeper  sense  they  must  have  been  appended  to 
the  preceding  statements  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
the  ground  of  that  equality  of  action.  Indeed, 
even  without  these  words,  the  very  claim  by  Jesus  of 


JJohn  v.  26.  2  J °hn  x.  30. 


3  John  x.  28.  4J°hn  x.  29, 


JESUS'  RE  LA  TLONS  TO  TLIE  FA  TILER. 


1 49 


equal  authority,  power,  and  sovereignty  of  action 
with  the  Father,  necessarily  requires  the  assumption 
of  an  equal  nature  and  capacities.  For  how  could  a 
being  having  a  nature  and  capabilities  less  than  God’s, 
do  the  same  things  with  God,  or  have  the  right  to  do 
them  ?  If,  then,  these  last  quoted  words  do  not 
express  the  essential  equality  of  the  Son  to  the 
Father,  that  equality  is  still  necessarily  implied.  The 
oneness  which  they  so  plainly  declare  must  be  of  a 
kind  adequate  to  its  resulting  action. 

68.  IN  THE  SON,  THE  FATHER  IS  SEEN,  KNOWN,  DES¬ 
PISED,  HATED,  BELIEVED,  AND  RECEIVED  BY  MEN. 

When  Philip  said  :  Show  us  the  Father  and  it  suffic- 
eth  us,  Jesus  answered  him  :  Have  I  been  so  long 
time  with  you  and  yet  hast  thou  not  known  me,  Philip  ? 
He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father }  If  ye  had 
known  me  ye  should  have  known  my  Father  also  ;  and 
from  henceforth  ye  know  him  and  have  seen  him }  He 
that  seeth  me  seeth  him  that  sent  me}  He  that  despis- 
eth  me  despiscth  him  that  sent  me}  He  that  hateth  me 
hateth  my  Father  also }  He  that  believeth  on  me,  be- 
lieveth  not  on  me,  but  on  him  that  sent  me}  He  that 
receiveth  me  receiveth  him  that  sent  me! 

It  is  evident  that  Jesus  meant  to  say  that  the  see¬ 
ing,  knowing,  believing,  hating  Him  was  equivalent 
to,  was  the  same  as,  the  seeing,  knowing,  believing, 
hating  the  Father.  This  could  be  true  only  on  the  hy¬ 
pothesis  of  the  clo  est  union,  or  rather  unity,  between 

1  John  xiv.  9.  2  John  viii.  19,  and  xiv.  7.  3 4  John  xii.  45. 

4  Luke  x.  16.  5  John  xv.  23.  0  John  xii.  44.  7  Mat.  x.  40. 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS . 


150 


them.  Jesus  did  indeed  say  to  his  Apostles  in  refer¬ 
ence  to  their  preaching  :  He  that  despiseth  you  despis- 
eth  me;1  He  that  receiveth  you  receiveth  me;2  and 
that  was  true,  inasmuch  as  they  represented  Him  and 
preached  His  word.  Thus  far  there  was  a  resem¬ 
blance  in  the  two  cases  and  relations,  the  lower  rela¬ 
tion  resembling  the  higher  only  in  a  small  part  of  its 
extent,  and  even  there  imperfectly.  But  Jesus  never 
said  to  His  Apostles  :  He  that  seeeth,  knoweth,  hear- 
eth,  believeth  you,  seeth,  knoweth,  heareth,  believeth 
me.  And  what  prophet  or  apostle  ever  said,  as  Jesus 
did:  He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father? 
Evidently  there  must  lie,  as  a  basis  for  these  words  of 
Jesus,  the  substratum  of  a  union  between  Him  and 
the  Father,  beyond  that  which  exists  in  the  case  of 
any  other  being,  a  union  which  is  in  fact  a  unity. 

69.  THE  SON  SHARES  WITH  THE  FATHER  IN  THE 
OWNERSHIP  OF  ALL  THINGS. 

In  prayer,  referring  to  His  disciples  Jesus  said:  / 
pray  for  them  :  I  pray  ?iot  for  the  zvorld  ‘  but  for  them 
which  thou  hast  given  me ;  for  they  are  thine.  A?id 
all  mine  are  thine ,  and  thine  are  mine2  He  meant 
especially  His  apostles,  and  generally,  all  the  re- 

1  Luke  x.  16.  2  Mat.  x.  40. 

3  John  xvii.  9,  10.  Greek,  tu  ejuu  iruvra  ad  egtl.  The  neuter  is 
used  though  persons  are  primarily  spoken  of,  beautifully  express¬ 
ing  the  ideas  of  universality  and  of  real  possession.  “  All  that  is 
thine  is  mine” — angels,  men,  heaven,  earth  and  hell;  possessed 
by  me  just  as  gold,  gems,  houses,  lands  are  possessed  by  their 
owners. 


JESUS'  RE  LA  TIOUS  TO  THE  FA  THER.  i 5  1 

deemed.  He  (the  Spirit)  shall  glorify  me ;  for  he 
shall  receive  of  mine  a7id  shall  shew  it  unto  you.  All 
things  that  the  Father  hath  are  mine ;  therefore  said  f 
He  shall  take  of  mine  and  shall  shozv  it  unto  you }  To 
show  the  extent  to  which  His  words,  “  He  shall  take 
of  mine  and  shall  show  it  unto  you,”  were  true,  Jesus 
reminded  them  that  that  which  is  His  has  no 
narrow  limit ;  for  all  that  is  the  Father’s  is  His  also  : 
so  that  the  Spirit  in  taking  of  His,  has,  so  to  speak, 
the  range  of  all  that  is  God’s.  But  what  a  claim  is 
put  in  here !  to  a  community  of  property  with  God. 
“  All  that  is  God’s  is  mine  !  ”  Was  He  a  mere  man  ? 
an  angel?  a  creature?  Who  can  He  be  whom  God 
associates  with  Himself  in  the  ownership  of  all  exist¬ 
ing  things  ? 

70.  JESUS  AS  SON,  AND  HE  ALONE,  SEES  AND  KNOWS 
THE  FATHER  IMMEDIATELY  AND  PERFECTLY. 

Not  that  any  man  {any  one)  hath  seen  the  Father 
save  he  which  is  of  God ;  he  hath  seen  the  Father .2  As 
the  Father  knoweth  me ,  even  so  know  I  the  Father?  Ye 
have  not  known  hint ;  but  I  know  him  ;  and  if  I  should 
say  I  know  him  not ,  I  shall  be  a  liar  like  unto  you }  No 
man  {no  one)  knoweth  the  Son  but  the  Father  ;  neither 
knoweth  any  man  the  Father  save  the  Son ,  and  he  to 
whomsoever  the  Son  will  reveal  him? 

No  language  could  make  it  plainer  that  the  knowl- 

1  John  xvi.  14,  15.  2J°lm  vi.  46. 

3  John  x.  15,  On  this  most  astonishing  assertion  of  a  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  Father  like  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  by  the  Father, 
see  §40,  p.  92.  4J°lm  viii.  55.  6  Mat.  xi.  27. 


152 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


edge  of  the  Father  which  the  Son  possesses  is  un¬ 
derived,  immediate,  perfect,  and  the  perfect  counter¬ 
part  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  by  the  Father. 
And  further,  Jesus  says  that  the  knowledge  of  the 
Father  which  any  other  beings  possess,  be  they  who 
they  may,  is  received  from  Him,  the  Son.  Thsse 
words  remind  us  of  those  of  the  beloved  disciple:  No 
man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time ;  the  only  begotten 
Son  which  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father  he  hath 
declared  him.1  To  the  Son  all  the  Deity  lies  open: 
and  He  reveals  the  Deity  to  men  as  He  will. 

71.  HIS  WORK  ON  EARTH  BEING  DONE,  THE  SON  RE¬ 
TURNED  TO  THE  FATHER,  AND  SITS  AT  HIS  RIGHT 

HAND,  SHARING  HIS  THRONE  AND  HIS  GLORY. 

Yet  a  little  while  am  I  with  you  and  then  I  go  unto 
him  that  sent  me?  I  go  my  way ;  .  .  .  whither  I  go  ye 
cannot  come?  As  I  said  unto  the  Jews ,  whither  I  go 
ye  cannot  come ,  so  now  I  say  to  you?  Whither  I  go  ye 
know  and  the  way  ye  know?  I  go  unto  my  Father ?  If 
ye  loved  me,  ye  would  rejoice  because  I  said  I  go  unto  the 
Father?  I  came  forth  from  the  Father ,  and  am  come 
into  the  world :  again  I  leave  the  world  and  go  to  the 
Father?  And  now  I  am  710  more  in  the  world ,  but 
these  are  in  the  world ,  and  I  come  to  thee?  I  am  not 
yet  ascended  to  my  Father  ;  but  go  to  my  brethren  a7id 
say  unto  them,  I  ascend  iinto  my  Father  and  your 


1  John  i.  18. 

4  John  xiii.  33. 
7  John  xiv.  28. 


2  John  vii.  33. 

5  John  xiv.  4. 

8  John  xvi.  28. 


3  John  viii.  21. 
e  John  xiv.  1 2. 
“John  xvii.  n, 


JESUS'  RE  LA  T ION'S  TO  THE  FA  THER. 


153 


Father,  and  to  my  God  and  your  God ?  For  David 
himself  said  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  The  Lord  said  unto  my 
Lord,  Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand  till  L  make  thine  ene¬ 
mies  thy  footstool ?  These  last  words  are  cited  by 
Jesus,  and  applied  by  Him  to  the  Messiah,  that  is,  to 
Himself ;  and  they  show,  as  do  His  other  sayings 
quoted  here,  His  place  in  the  world  above.  He 
further  said,  through  His  servant  in  Patmos  :  To  him 
that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me  on  my 
throne,  even  as  L  also  overcame  and  am  set  dozvn  with 
my  Father  in  his  throne?  He  also  claimed  equal 
honor  with  the  Father:  That  all  men  should  honor 
the  Son  even  as  they  honor  the  Father.  He  that  hon¬ 
or  eth  not  the  Son,  honor  eth  not  the  Father  which  hath 
sent  him?  These  relations  of  the  Son  to  the  Father 
are  eternal :  The  Son  abideth  ever? 

We  find,  in  one  of  the  passages  just  quoted,  the 
association  of  the  Son  with  the  Father  on  His  throne 
presented  by  Jesus  as  the  analogue  of  the  association 
of  believers  with  Himself.  Interpreted  mathematic¬ 
ally  the  words  might  be  regarded  as  teaching  that 
the  people  of  God  would  share  in  the  throne  of  God, 
or  share  in  it  as  far  as  the  Son  does.  The  same 
terms  are  used  of  both  ;  but  general  language  can  not 
be  construed  by  the  rules  of  a  mathematical  equa¬ 
tion,  and,  above  all,  figurative  language.  And  note 
well,  in  demonstration  and  illustration  of  the  differ¬ 
ence  in  the  two  cases — first,  the  difference  of  attri- 


1  John  xx.  17.  2  Mark  xii.  36  ;  Mat.  xxii.  44  ;  Luke  xx.  42. 

3  Rev.  iii.  21.  4  John  v.  23.  6  Jolin  viii.  35. 

7* 


154 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


butes  and  powers  between  mere  men  and  the  Son  of 
God,  as  that  difference  is  shown  by  the  exhibit  made 
of  the  attributes  of  the  Son  ;  the  sharing  in  authority 
and  administration  can  not  go  further  than  the  ca¬ 
pacities  of  the  respective  subjects  ;  and  on  this  line 
men  soon  find  their  limit.  Secondly  note,  that  no 
such  results  of  the  union  of  men  in  the  throne  and 
honors  of  the  Son  are  declared,  as  we  see  clearly  de¬ 
clared  concerning  the  union  of  the  Son  with  the  Father. 
Their  words  and  acts  are  nowhere  stated  to  be  Christ’s, 
as  the  words  and  acts  of  the  Son  are  declared  to  be 
the  Father’s.  They  do  not  see,  hear,  know  Him 
immediately,  and  perfectly,  as  He  sees  and  knows  the 
Father;  they  know  the  Father  only  by  revelation 
made  to  them  through  the  Son.  Also  they  have  not 
sovereign  power  to  make  the  Son  known  to  men  as 
the  Son  has  power  to  reveal  the  Father.  They  are 
not  said  to  do  all  that  Jesus  does,  and  by  the  same 
right,  as  the  Son  is  said  to  do  in  respect  to  the 
Father.  Their  relations  through  the  Son  to  the 
Father  are  indeed  blessed  and  glorious,1  but  are  far 
inferior,  as  are  their  capacities  and  rights,  to  those  of 
u  the  beloved  Son  of  God.” 


1  See  chapters  xii„  xiii. 


CHAPTER  X. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 

72.  JESUS,  IN  HIS  LIFE  ON  EARTH,  HAD  THE  CON¬ 
STANT  PRESENCE  AND  INWORKING  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 

In  the  Synagogue  at  Nazareth  once,  Jesus  stood 
up  and  read  a  prediction  from  Isaiah :  The  Spirit  0/ 
the  Lord  is  upon  me  because  he  hath  anointed  me  to 

preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor ;  etc . And  then  he 

began  to  say  unto  them  :  This  day  is  this  Scripture  ful¬ 
filled  in  your  ears}  It  was  fulfilled,  namely,  in  Him  ; 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  upon  Him,  because  the 
Lord  had  anointed  Him  with  it. 

Jesus  said  to  the  Church  in  Sardis  :  These  things 
saith  he  that  hath  the  seven  spirits  of  God .1 2  The 
language  is  symbolic,  and  derived  from  the  prophet 
Zechariah.3  The  number  seven  represents  simply  the 
fullness  of  knowledge  and  power  and  work  of  the  one 
Spirit.  This  Spirit,  the  exalted  Jesus  declares  that 
He  “  PIATH,”  as  a  possession,  an  instrument,  a  gift 
for  men. 

Speaking  of  the  power  by  which  He  wrought  His 
miracles,  Jesus  said  :  If  I  cast  out  devils  by  the  Spirit 


1  Isa.  lxi.  1,  2  ;  Luke  iv.  18,  21  ;  see  John  iii.  34. 

2  Rev.  iii.  1.  3Zech.  iv.  2,  n-14. 

(i55) 


156 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


of  God}  In  Luke  the  words  are:  If  I  with  the  fin¬ 
ger  of  God  cast  out  devils }  Here  the  Spirit  is  the 
divine  instrument  by  which  Jesus  works. 

The  charge  made  by  His  enemies  that  He  cast  out 
devils  by  Beelzebub,  was  blasphemy  against  the 
Spirit  ;  for  Jesus  immediately  said  :  But  he  that  shall 
blaspheme  against  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  never  forgive- 
ness,  but  is  in  danger  of  eternal  damnation }  Which 
the  Evangelist  explains :  “  Because  they  said,  He 
(Christ)  hath  an  unclean  spirit.”  The  fact  that  their 
act  was  blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Spirit  implies 
the  presence  with  Jesus  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  His 
full  majesty  and  sacredness. 

73.  JESUS  GIVES  THE  SPIRIT  TO  MEN. 

He  said  to  the  woman  of  Samaria :  Whosoever 
drinketh  of  this  water  shall  thirst  again ;  but  whoso¬ 
ever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall 
never  thirst ;  but  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall 
be  in  him  a  zvell  of  water  springing  up  unto  everlasting 
life}  What  the  water  is  which  Jesus  gives,  appears 
from  another  passage.  Jesus  stood  in  the  temple 
and  cried,  saying  :  If  any  man  thirst  let  him  come 
unto  me  and  drink .  He  that  believeth  on  me,  as  the 
Scripture  hath  said ,  out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  rivers 
of  living  water }  John  adds  :  “  This  spake  he  of  the 

1  Mat.  xii.  28.  Greek,  ev  Trvevjuarc  Qecv,  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 

2  Luke  xi.  20.  Greek,  Ev  da/cTvXo)  QeoD.  Ev  with  the  Dative  of 
the  Instrument  or  Means. 

3  Mark  iii.  29,  30.  Compare  Mat.  xii.  31. 

4  John  iv.  13,  14.  5J°Im  vii.  37,  38. 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT.  i$y 

Spirit  which  they  that  believe  on  him  should  re¬ 
ceive.” 

Here  the  relation  of  the  parties  is  :  Jesus  the  Pos¬ 
sessor  and  Bestower ;  the  Spirit,  the  treasure  held 
and  bestowed  on  men. 

Jesus  promised  to  send  the  Spirit  in  more  abun¬ 
dant  measure  and  power  after  His  return  to  the 
Father :  Wait  for  the  promise  of  the  Father  which, 
said  he,  ye  have  heard  of  me.  For  John  truly  baptized 
with  water ,  but  ye  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  not  many  days  hence}  Ye  shall  receive  power 
after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you}  And  be¬ 
hold,  I  se?id  the  promise  of  my  Father  upon  you  ;  but 
tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem  until  ye  be  endued 
with  power  from  071  high }  I  will  pray  the  Father  and 
he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter }  These  things  have 
I  spoken  unto  you  being  yet  present  with  you.  But  the 
Comforter  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost  whom  the  Father 
will  send  in  my  7iame,  he  shall  teach  you  all  things  and 
bring  all  things  to  your  re77ie77ibrance  whatsoever  I  have 
said  unto  you}  When  the  Comforter  is  come  zvho77i  I 
will  send  uzito  you  fro7n  the  Father,  even  the  Spirit  of 
truth  which  proceedeth  fro7n  the  Father,  he  shall  testify 
of  me}  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away  •  for  if 
I  go  7iot  away,  the  Co77iforter  will  7iot  come  unto  you  ; 
but  if  I  depart  I  will  send  him  unto  you.  A  nd  zvhen 
he  is  coi7ie  he  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin  a7id  of  right - 
eous7icss  and  of  judgment }  When  he,  the  Spirit  of 

1  Acts  i.  4,  5.  2  Acts  i.  8.  3  Luke  xxiv.  49. 

4  John  xiv.  16,  17.  6  John  xiv.  26.  6  John  xv.  26. 

5  John  xvi.  7,  8, 


i58 


CHRIST  HIS  0  W N  WITNESS. 


truth ,  is  come,  he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth  :  for  he 
shall  not  speak  of  himself ;  but  whatsoever  he  shall 
hear,  that  shall  he  speak :  and  he  will  shozv  you  things 
to  come .  He  shall  glorify  me  ;  for  he  shall  receive  of 
mine  and  shall  show  it  unto  you} 

The  word  “  Comforter  ”  used  in  our  translation  is 
a  very  inadequate  representative  of  the  original  term 
IlapdKMjrog.  Jesus  Christ  is  called  the  IlapdKArjTog  of 
His  people.  “  If  any  man  sin  we  have  an  Advocate 
(in  the  original,  IJapdKkr]Tog)  with  the  Father,  Jesus 
Christ  the  righteous.2  Here  we  have  the  proper 
technical  meaning  of  the  word.  Jesus  Christ  is  so 
called  because,  as  the  Advocate  of  His  people  He 
pleads  for  them  with  God,  acts  in  their  behalf,  and 
secures  their  interests  and  safety.  When  Jesus,  there¬ 
fore,  declared  that  the  Father,  in  answer  to  Hie 
prayers,  would  send  to  them  another  Paraclete,  He 
meant  one  who  should  take  the  place  which  He  him¬ 
self  had,  till  then,  occupied  as  such.  The  Spirit  was 
to  take  the  Headship  of  Christ’s  people  and  Church 
in  the  place  of  Christ,  and  act  in  that  office  as  Christ 
had  done.  Accordingly  the  Spirit  sustains  now  the 
cause  of  Christ  in  the  world,  and  defends,  strengthens, 
enlightens,  sanctifies,  comforts,  and  guides  Christians. 
In  this  way  the  High-priestly  Prayer  of  the  depart¬ 
ing  Jesus  is  fulfilled.  The  Spirit  is  the  Vicegerent  of 
Christ  on  earth.3 

1  John  xvi.  13,  14.  2  1  John  ii.  I. 

3  The  interesting  and  affecting  letter  of  the  churches  of  Vienne 
and  Lyons  in  France,  written  in  the  second  century,  and  giving 
to  their  brethren  in  Asia  Minor  an  account  of  their  sufferings 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT .  159 


74.  SUMMARY  OF  THE  TEACHINGS  OF  JESUS  CON* 
CERNING  THE  RELATIONS  WHICH  EXIST  BETWEEN 
HIMSELF  AND  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 

Jesus  was  anointed  with  the  Spirit  to  do  His  Mes¬ 
sianic  work.  By  the  Spirit  He  preached  the  Gospel 
and  performed  His  miracles  ;  especially  was  the  cast¬ 
ing  out  of  devils  performed  by  Him  through  the 
Spirit  of  God.  Jesus  gives  the  Spirit  as  a  water  of 
Life  to  those  who  ask  Him.  Having  ascended  to 
heaven,  He  received  of  the  Father  larger  gifts  of  the 
Spirit,  and  He  sends  the  Spirit  to  be  in  His  Church 
and  with  His  people  in  more  abundant  gifts  and 
graces,  and  with  authority  to  act  in  His  name  and 
place  as  Head,  Protector,  and  Guide,  and  especially 
as  a  Teacher  of  His  truth.  In  doing  the  work  of 
Teacher  the  Spirit  testifies  of  Christ,  recalls  to  be¬ 
lievers  the  remembrance  of  what  He  said,  shows  to 
believers  the  things  of  Christ,  convicts  the  world  of 
sin  in  not  believing  on  Him,  and  so  glorifies  the  Son. 

All  this  implies  and  expresses  both  a  distinction  of 
personalities  between  the  Son  and  the  Spirit,  and 
also  entire  sympathy  in  object  and  harmony  in  ac- 


from  persecution,  tells  of  a  martyr,  Vettius  Epagathus,  his  suffer¬ 
ings,  constancy  and  death,  and  then  says  of  him  :  “  He  was  a 
paracletos  of  the  Christians,  having  the  Paracletos  in  himself.” 
That  the  word  is  used  in  the  sense  of  Defender  is  plain  from  the 
added  explanatory  remark  that  he  laid  down  his  life  in  defence 
(dTroPi.oy/a:)  of  the  brethren.”  He  had  the  “  Helper  ”  (the  Holy 
Spirit)  within  him,  and  so  he  had  the  courage  and  the  wisdom 
to  “  help  ”  others. 


1 60 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


tion  ;  in  short,  not  only  the  closest  union,  but  essen¬ 
tial  equality,  joined  with  subordination  in  order. 

The  similarity  of  many  of  the  facts  as  thus  stated 
by  Jesus,  in  the  relations  of  the  Spirit  to  the  Son 
and  those  of  the  Son  to  the  Father,  is  manifest ;  and 
it  points  to  a  common  union  of  the  Three. 

With  the  deepest  and  the  sweetest  conviction  I 
write  it,  as  the  result  of  this  fresh  and  careful  study 
of  all  that  Jesus  said  of  His  own  Attributes  and  Pre¬ 
rogatives,  and  of  His  Relations  to  the  Father  and  to 
the  Spirit,  He  WHO  CLAIMS  THESE  THINGS,  CLAIMS 

to  be  God  :  He  of  whom  these  things  are  true, 
IS  God.  And  without  this  truth  of  the  Divinity  of 
Jesus  Christ  neither  could  those  further  declarations 
be  true  which  are  now  to  be  studied,  regarding  the 
relations  of  Jesus  to  all  men,  to  His  people  and  to 
His  Church. 


CHAPTER  XL 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  AS  MESSIAH  TO  MEN  IN 

GENERAL. 

75.  JESUS  RECOGNIZED  THE  FACT  THAT  MEN  ARE 

DEPRAVED  AND  GUILTY,  AND  SO  UNDER  CON¬ 
DEMNATION. 

Jesus  declared  that  men  are  ignorant  of  the  Father 
and  of  Himself:  And  these  things  will  they  do  unto 
you  because  they  have  not  known  the  Father  nor  me} 
The  knowledge  here  meant  is  not  a  merely  intellec¬ 
tual  acquaintance  v/ith  the  name,  character,  or  acts 
of  God  and  of  Christ,  but  an  internal,  spiritual  knowl¬ 
edge  which  controls  the  heart  and  life — an  apprehen¬ 
sion  of  the  reality  and  excellence  of  the  Divine  Per¬ 
fections  and  Work,  especially  as  they  relate  to  men. 
It  is  such  knowledge  as  Jesus  had  in  mind  when  He 
said :  No  man  k?ioweth  the  Father  save  the  Son  and  he 
to  whomsoever  the  Son  will  reveal  him}  The  masses 
whom  He  addressed  were  not  acknowledged  by  Jesus 
as  His  people  :  Ye  are  not  of  my  sheep}  They  were 
against  Him:  He  that  is  not  with  me  is  against  me} 
They  refused  to  apply  for  His  saving  help :  Ye  ivill 
not  come  unto  me  that  ye  might  have  life }  They  did 

JJohnxvi  3.  2  Mat.  xi.  27.  3 4Johnx.  26. 

4  Luke  xi.  23.  5  John  v.  40. 

(161) 


1 62  CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 

not  believe  in  Him  :  If  ye  believe  not  that  I  am  he,  ye 
shall  die  in  your  sins ?  They  preferred  ignorance  and 
sin  to  His  instructions  and  assistance  :  Light  is  come 
into  the  world,  and  men  loved  darkness  rather  than 
light?  They  hated  Him  :  The  world  cannot  hate  you, 
but  me  it  hateth?  Now  have  they  both  see7i  and  hated 
both  me  and  my  Father?  Some  spoke  against  Him: 
Whosoever  speaketh  a  word  against  the  Son  of  man? 
If  they  have  called  the  Master  of  the  house  Beelzebub I 
They  dishonored  Him  :  I  honor  my  Father,  and  ye  do 
dishonor  me?  They  tried  to  kill  Him  :  Ye  seek  to  kill 
me,  a  man  that  hath  told  you  the  truth?  They  per¬ 
secuted  Him  in  persecuting  His  people  :  I  am  Jesus 
whom  thou  persecutest?  They  were  slaves  of  sin : 

Whosoever  committeth  sin  is  the  servant  of  sin . 

If  the  Son,  therefore,  shall  make  you  free,  ye  shall  be 
free  indeed?*  Blasphemy  was  among  their  sins  ;  and 
the  blasphemers  were  Satan’s  servants  :  I  know  the 
blasphemy  of  them  that  say  they  are  Jews  and  are  not,  but 
are  the  synagogue  of  Satan ?'  Their  actions  and  lives 
were  wicked  :  I  testify  of  it  (the  world)  that  the  works 
thereof  are  evil .12  But  wickedness  is  hateful  to  Him  : 
Thou  hatest  the  deeds  of  the  Nicolaitans,  which  I  also 
hate .13  So  hast  thou  also  them  that  hold  the  doctrine 
of  the  Nicolaitans,  which  thing  I  hate?i  His  Jewish 


I  John  viii.  24.  2  John  iii.  19. 

4  John  xv.  24. * 4 *  6  Mat.  xii.  32. 

7  John  viii.  49. 

9  Acts  ix.  5  ;  xxii.  8  ;  xxvi.  15. 

II  Rev.  ii.  9.  12  John  vii.  7. 

14  Rev.  ii.  1 5. 


8  John  vii.  7. 
6  Mat.  x.  25. 
8  John  viii.  37,  40. 
10  John  viii.  34,  36. 
13  Rev.  ii.  6. 


RE  LA  TIONS  OF  JESUS  A  S  ME  SSI  A  H  TO  MEN.  j  63 

enemies  were  accused  before  God  for  this  their  enmity 
to  Jesus  by  Moses  himself:  Do  not  think  that  I  will 
accuse  you  to  the  Father :  there  is  one  that  accuseth  you, 
even  Moses  in  whom  ye  trust }  His  instructions  and 
miracles  stripped  them  of  all  excuse  for  their  unbe¬ 
lief  :  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken  unto  them,  they  had 
not  had  sin  ;  but  now  they  have  no  cloak  for  their  sin. 
.  .  .  .  If  I  had  not  done  among  them  the  works  which 
none  other  man  did,  they  had  not  had  sin  ;  but  now  have 
they  both  seen  and  hated  both  me  and  my  Father I  The 
inevitable  result  of  their  wickedness  and  rejection  of 
Him  was  utter  and  eternal  ruin  :  Ye  shall  seek  me  and 

shall  die  in  your  sins . I  said  therefore  unto  you, 

that  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins  ;  for  if  ye  believe  not  that 
I  am  he,  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins ? 

Many  of  these  words  of  Jesus  are  special  in  their 
character  and  application,  referring  to  particular  per¬ 
sons  or  classes,  whose  opportunities  of  knowledge 
were  peculiar,  and  whose  guilt  was,  therefore,  aggra¬ 
vated.  But  others  of  them  are  more  general  and 
some  universal  in  their  application.  In  these  Jesus 
recognizes  “  the  world  ”  as  being  and  doing  evil,  as 
hating  and  opposing  Him.  He  speaks  of  men  as  cal¬ 
lous  and  ignorant  of  God  and  His  truth,  and,  if  not 
regenerated  by  Divine  grace,  developing  enmity  in 
proportion  to  their  acquaintance  with  Himself  and 
His  truth.  Such  were  men  in  the  sight  of  Jesus. 
And  therefore,  as  “  the  Spirit  of  God  moved  upon 
the  face  of  the  waters”  of  primeval  chaos,  so  Jesus, 


1  John  v.  45,  46. 


2  John  xv.  22,  24. 


3  John  viii.  21,  24. 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


164 

the  Messiah,  came  working,  and  still  works  upon  this 
moral  chaos  of  humanity,  to  bring  it  into  moral  order, 
to  purity,  beauty,  and  everlasting  glory. 

76.  JESUS  DECLARES  HIMSELF  TEIE  SAVIOUR  OF  MEN. 

Hence  His  Name  :  for  “Jesus’’  (from  the  Hebrew, 
Joshua,  or  Jeshua),  signifies  SAVIOUR.1 2  It  is  as  Sav¬ 
iour  He  carries  out  the  purpose  for  which  He  came 
into  the  world.  By  methods  and  means  which  In¬ 
finite  Wisdom  appointed,  Jesus  bestows  on  lost  men 
eternal  life.  As  thou  hast  given  him  power  over  all 
flesh  that  he  should  give  eternal  life  to  as  many  as  thou 
hast  give n  him? 

Under  various  figures  this  great  benefit  which  He 
confers  on  men  is  represented  to  us.  Regarding  men 
not  only  as  mortal,  but  as  spiritually  dead,  and  con¬ 
demned  to  eternal  death,  He  said  to  Martha  :  I  am 
the  Resurrection  and  the  Life  :  he  that  believeth  in  me, 
though  he  zvere  dead,  yet  shall  he  live  ;  and  he  that  liveth 
and  believeth  in  me  shall  never  die?  Here,  entirely  in 
His  own  manner,  Jesus  mingled  lower  and  higher 
references  together,  bodily  with  spiritual  death  and 
condemnation,  and  the  resurrection  of  the  body  with 
that  of  the  soul  to  spiritual  and  eternal  life.  He  is 
the  Author  of  Life  for  the  whole  man.  So,  again,  He 
said  :  The  hour  is  coming ,  arid  now  is,  when  the  dead 
(the  spiritually  dead)  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of 
God,  and  they  that  hear  shall  live.  For  as  the  Father 


1  Mat.  i.  21.  See  on  object  of  His  coming,  ch.  iv. 

2  John  xvii.  2.  3  John  xi.  25,  26. 


RELA  TIONS  OF  JESUS  A  S  MESSIAH  TO  MEN.  j6^ 

hath  life  in  himself ,  so  hath  he  given  to  the  Son  to  have 
life  in  himself} 

Likening  the  saved  to  a  flock  needing  to  be  gath¬ 
ered  safely  into  the  fold,  He  said  :  /  am  the  door  of  the 
sheep }  It  is  through  His  Mediatorial  work  that  men 
enter  within  that  fold.  As  they  need,  while  in  the 
world,  His  constant  care  and  protection,  He  says:  1 
am  the  good  shepherd?  Inasmuch  as  that  eternal  life 
to  which  He  brings  His  people  is  a  life  in  the  pres¬ 
ence  and  the  enjoyment  of  God  and  Himself,  which 
is  the  highest  state  of  life  for  a  creature — is,  in  fact, 
the  creature’s  supreme  good,  and  inasmuch  as  He 
alone  brings  men  to  this  life,  Jesus  says  of  Himself : 
I  am  the  Way.  Inasmuch  as  He  is  both  the  subject 
and  the  teacher  of  the  Gospel  truth,  He  says  :  And 
(I  am)  the  Truth.  And  inasmuch  as  He  is  both  the 
author  of  redemption  and  the  source  and  peren¬ 
nial  spring  of  spiritual  and  eternal  life,  He  finishes 
this  grand  triplet  of  characters  by  saying  :  And  (I  am) 
the  Life.  Having  said,  I  am  the  Way  and  the  Truth 
and  the  Life,  He  justifies  His  claim  to  these  glorious 
names  and  His  exclusive  claim  to  them,  by  adding: 
No  ma7i  cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me} 

We  now,  with  Jesus  ever  as  our  guide,  proceed  to 
trace  out  the  different  parts  and  steps  of  this  His 
great  work  of  men’s  salvation.  Each  item  will  be  a 
new  feature  of  Jesus’  Relations  to  Men. 


1  John  v.  25,  26. 
1  John  xiv.  6. 


3  John  x.  7. 


8  John  x.  11. 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


1 66 


77.  JESUS  DIED  TO  SAVE  MEN. 

Jesus  taught  that  the  chief  Corner-Stone  of  the 
whole  structure  of  men’s  salvation  is  HlS  DEATH. 

As  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness ,  even 
so  must  the  Son  of  man  be  lifted  up,  that  whosoever  be - 
lieveth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life. 
For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begot¬ 
ten  Son  that  zv  ho  so  ever  bclieveth  in  him  should  not  per¬ 
ish,  but  have  everlasting  life}  The  word  “  Gave  ”  in 
this  last  sentence  means  “Gave  up  to  death.”  Just 
as  when  instituting  and  explaining  the  Lord’s  supper, 
Jesus  said  :  This  is  my  body  which  is  given  for  you .1 2 3 4 
Paul  gives  the  words  as :  This  is  my  body,  which  is 
broken  for  you?  Again,  of  the  wine,  Jesus  said:  This 
is  my  blood  of  the  New  Testament  which  is  shed  for 
many  for  the  remission  of  sins}  This  cup  is  the  New 
Testament  in  my  blood,  which  is  shed  for  you}  It  was 
this  great  result  of  His  death,  namely,  the  eternal 
life  of  men,  that  comforted  Him  in  the  anticipation 
of  that  death.  Having  said  that  the  corn  of  wheat 
must  die  in  order  to  bring  forth  fruit,  for  otherwise  it 
would  abide  alone,  He  prayed,  in  soul-conflict  at  the 
view  of  death,  Father,  save  me  from  this  hour,  but 
immediately  added,  but  for  this  cause  came  I  unto  this 

1  John  iii.  14,  1 5,  16. 

2  Luke  xxii.  19,  “for  you,”  Greek,  vtt^q  v/iuv.  See  note  3t 
next  page. 

3  1  Cor.  xi.  24,  “  for  you,”  Greek,  vnig  v[iuv. 

4  Mat.  xxvi.  28  ;  Mark  xiv.  24,  “  for  many,”  Greek,  n eft  ttoTiXuv, 

6  Luke  xxii.  20,  “  for  you,”  Greek,  vney  vfi&v. 


RE  LA  TIONS  OF  JE  S  US  AS  ME  SSI  A  H  TO  MEN.  1 6  7 


hour}  He  came  to  that  hour  and  situation  IN  ORDER 
TO  DIE,  to  die  for  men’s  salvation  :  as  the  corn  of 
wheat  must  die  in  order  to  produce  fruit. 

Looking  at  the  same  result  of  His  death  at  another 
time,  He  said  :  And  /,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth 
will  draw  all  men  unto  me'}  John  adds:  “  This  he 
said,  signifying  what  death  he  should  die.”  Jesus 
made  this  great  service,  which  by  His  death  He  did 
for  men,  an  example  for  His  people  to  follow  :  Whoso¬ 
ever  will  be  great  among  you,  let  him  be  your  minister  y 
and  whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you  let  him  be  your 
servant :  Even  as  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  minis¬ 
tered  unto ,  but  to  minister  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom 
for  many} 


1  John  xii.  24-27.  2  John  xii.  32,  33. 

3  Mat.  xx.  26-28.  “  A  ransom  for  many,”  Greek,  Xvtqov  avri 

•nuAXfiv. 

The  importance  of  the  subject  calls  us  to  note  carefully  the 
words  employed  in  describing  the  relation  between  Jesus’  death 
and  the  salvation  of  men.  We  find  the  prepositions,  rent,  vtteq, 
and  uvtl.  IIeol  signifies  aboitt,  concerning,  in  reference  to,  fer,  in 
behalf  of.  Matthew  and  Mark  use  this  preposition  in  reporting 
what  Jesus  taught  concerning  His  blood  ;  it  was  shed,  negl  nol?Ev, 
for  many.  But  Luke  expresses  the  Saviour’s  thought  by  the 
preposition  vrey :  “This  is  the  New  Testament  in  my  blood 
which  is  shed,  vtt^q  vfiLv,  for  you.”  In  this  connection,  then,  the 
two  words  are  equivalent.  Tt rig  signifies,  strictly,  over,  and  then, 
over,  in  the  way  of  protecting ,  and  so,  for ,  in  behalf  of,  for 
the  benefit  of.  Luke  and  Paul  describe  by  it  also  what  Jesus 
said  of  His  body:  it  was  “given,”  “broken,”  vttIq  vfj.Lv,  for  you, 
in  your  behalf.  Avri  properly  means,  opposite,  over  against, 
and  so,  answering  to,  equivalent  to,  instead  of,  for,  i.  e.,  in  ex¬ 
change  for.  It  is  used  especially  in  cases  of  ex.  hange,  barter 


l6§  CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 

What  then,  according  to  the  whole  teaching  of 
Jesus,  is  the  relation  between  His  death  and  men’s 
salvation?  The  answer  is,  He  died  for  them,  in  their 
behalf ;  He  gave  His  life  a  ransom  for,  i.  e,  instead  of 
them,  for  their  release  from  condemnation.  His  blood 
was  shed  for,  i.  c.,  so  as  to  procure,  the  remission  of 
their  sins.  He  died,  so  that  believers  in  Him  might 
not  die,  as  otherwise  they  must,  but  might  have  eter¬ 
nal  life.  His  death  is  the  means  of  their  everlasting 
life.  Unless  He  died,  like  the  corn  of  wheat  in  the 
ground,  the  good  result  (His  people’s  life)  would  not 
follow.  His  death  was  the  condition,  the  means 
of  that  result.  Being  lifted  up  on  the  cross,  He 
draws  all  men  unto  Him.  Hence  His  whole  mis¬ 
sion  and  work  as  Messiah  centered  in  His  dying. 
For  that  cause  He  came  to  that  hour.  Jesus’  death 
is  the  ground,  the  sure  and  the  only  foundation  of  the 
salvation  of  men.  Thus  He  Himself  declared  in  the 
clearest  manner  the  vicarious  character  and  efficacy 
of  His  death.1 

purchase ,  with  that  for  which,  or  in  exchange  for  which,  any 
person  or  thing  is  bought,  sold,  ransomed,  redeemed.  Jesus  de¬ 
clared  that  He  gave  His  life  a  Xjtqov  dvri  noXhtiv.  A vtqov,  from 
Avo),  to  .oose,  to  free,  is  that  by  which ,  when  given  in  exchange,  a 
person  or  thing  is  freed,  loosed,  ransomed.  Jesus,  therefore,  gave 
His  life  a  ransom  in  exchange  for  many .  Paul,  speaking  on  the 
same  great  theme,  compounds  these  two  words  and  adds  the 
preposition  vtteq  (i  Tim.  ii.  6),  “  Who  gave  himself,  uvtUvtqov  vrrtg 
ttuittuv,  an  exchange-ransom  in  behalf  of  alii'  And  in  Eph.  i.  7 
he  says :  “In  whom  (Jesus  Christ)  we  have  uttoXvtquolv  6ui  rou 
ai/iaTog  avrov,  redemption  (freedom  by  ransom)  through  his  blood 

1  See  §  16,  p.  26. 


RELA  TIONS  OF  JESUS  A  S  MESSIAH  TO  MEN.  169 


78.  JESUS  TEACHES  MEN  THE  WAY  OF  LIFE. 

This  was  a  part  of  the  work  assigned  Him  as  the 
Messiah. 

Though  His  Atoning  Death  is  necessary  for  the 
pardon  of  sinners  and  the  justification  of  the  guilty; 
yet  they,  as  rational  and  moral  beings,  depraved  in 
heart  and  blinded  in  mind,  must  learn  and  heartily 
receive  the  Gospel  truth,  intelligently  embrace  Jesus 
as  their  Saviour,  and  yield  a  cordial  obedience  to  His 
commands.  Hence  the  necessity  of  Jesus’  work  as  a 
Teacher  while  He  was  in  the  flesh,  and  hence  the 
necessity  of  the  Inspired  Record  of  His  instructions, 
of  its  universal  diffusion,  and  of  the  work  of  Gospel 
ministers  and  others  to  preach  and  teach  it  till  the 
end  of  time.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Great  Teacher.  We 
have  presented  heretofore  the  incidental  references 
which  He  made  to  His  teaching,  as  a  part  of  the 
history  of  His  life.1 2  We  now  bring  forward  the 
words  in  which  He  spoke  more  especially  of  His  office 
as  teacher,  and  of  His  preaching  and  teaching  as  a 
part  of  His  Messianic  work. 

79.  THE  FACT  AND  OBJECT  OF  HIS  TEACHING. 

Jesus  often  declared  His  office  and  work  as 
Teacher  :  Ye  call  me  Master  (Teacher)  and  Lord ,  and 
ye  say  well ;  for  so  I  am:  It  is  enough  for  the  disciple 


1  See  §  17,  p-  27. 

2  John  xiii.  13.  “Master,”  Greek,  <5  id  da  nalos,  T'eacher.  See  p, 
66,  note  2. 


8 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


170 

that  he  be  as  his  Master  (Teacher).1  But  be  ?iot  ye 
called  Rabbi ;  for  one  is  your  Master  (Guide),  even 
Christ }  The  object  of  His  teaching  men  is  negatively 
stated  in  reference  to  careless  hearers,  thus  :  Lest  they 
should  see  with  their  eyes ,  and  hear  with  their  ears,  and 
should  imderstand  with  their  heart  and  should  be  con¬ 
verted  and  I  should  heal  them}  Mark  puts  this  last 
result  in  the  words:  And  their  sms  should  be  for¬ 
given  them }  The  object,  then,  which  Jesus  had  in 
view  in  teaching,  was  that  His  hearers  might  see, 
hear,  understand,  be  converted,  healed  and  forgiven. 
As  doing  this  great  work  He  said  of  Himself:  Light 
is  come  into  the  world }  I  am  the  Light  of  the  world : 
he  that  followeth  me  shall  not  walk  in  darkness ,  but 
shall  have  the  Light  of  life }  I  am  come  a  Light  into 
the  world,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  me  should  not 
abide  in  darkness }  A  s  long  as  I  am  in  the  world  I  am 
the  Light  of  the  world}  To  this  end  was  /  born  and 
for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I  should  bear 
witness  unto  the  truth .  Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth 
heareth  my  voice}  The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you 
they  are  spirit  and  they  are  life}0  These  things  I  say 
that  ye  might  be  saved}1 3 * *  I  know  that  his  command¬ 
ment  is  life  everlastmg :  zvhat soever  I  speak  therefore , 


'Mat.  x.  25,  “Master,”  Greek,  diddonalor,  as  before. 

2  Mat.  xxiii.  8,  “  Master,”  Greek,  Kadrjy^TTjg,  leader,  guide ,  and 
so,  teacher. 

3  Mat.  xiii.  15.  4  Mark  iv.  12.  6J°hmi  Hi.  19. 

'John  viii.  12.  7 John  xii.  46.  8 John  ix.  5. 

9  John  xviii.  37.  10  John  vi.  63.  11  John  v.  34. 


RELA  TIO  NS  OF  JE  S  US  AS  ME  SSI  A  H  TO  MEN.  [  y  i 

even  as  the  Father  said  unto  me,  so  I  speak }  We  speak 
that  we  do  know  and  testify  that  we  have  seen}  I 
spake  openly  to  the  world :  I  ever  taught  in  the  syna¬ 
gogue  and  in  the  temple?  I  sat  daily  with  you'  teach¬ 
ing  in  the  temple ?a  I  am  the  Way  and  the  Truth  and 
the  Life ?  Take  my  yoke  upon  you  and  learn  of  me? 
These  things  saith  the  Amen,  the  Faithful  and  True 
Witness? 

These  words  of  Jesus  are  plain  and  need  no  com¬ 
ment.  But  they  are  eminently  worthy  of  our  atten¬ 
tion  ;  for  they  are  full  of  important  meaning,  are 
suggestive,  directive,  and  inspiring.  They  contain 
names  of  Jesus  of  delightful  significancy  :  they  ex¬ 
hibit  Jesus  as  the  Light,  the  Truth,  the  Way,  the 
Teacher  and  the  Guide  of  men  ;  they  tell  the  humble 
inquirer  that  going  to  Jesus  he  will  learn  infallible 
and  saving  truth  ;  they  point  out  the  only  Source  of 
knowledge  and  invite  to  its  acquisition  :  Learn  of  me. 
Jesus  said  of  Mary  sitting  at  His  feet  and  drinking  in 
His  words:  Mary  hath  choseit  that  good  part,  which 
shall  not  be  take?i  from  her ?  If  Jesus  is  what  He  in 
these  sayings  declared  Himself  to  be,  if  He  rightly 
estimated  the  worth  of  His  teachings,  then  they  are 
blessed  who  hear  and  do  His  words ;  and  this  also 
He  Himself  said  :  Blessed  are  your  eyes,  for  they  see  : 
and  your  ears,  for  they  hear.  For  verily  I  say  unto  you, 
that  many  prophets  and  righteous  men  have  desired  to 
see  those  things  which  ye  see  a7id  have  not  seen  them, 

Hohn  xii.  50.  2  John  iii.  11.  3  J ohn.  xviii.  20. 

3/  Mat.  xxvi.  55  ;  Mark  xiv.  49.  4  John  xiv.  6. 

b  Mat.  xi.  29.  6  Rev.  iii.  14.  T  Luke  x.  42. 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


172 

and  to  hear  those  things  which  ye  hear  and  have  not 
heard  them}  One  of  the  best  names  of  a  Christian, 
one  which  should  be  among  the  sweetest  to  the  be¬ 
liever  himself,  is  “  disciple  (learner)  of  Christ.” 

80.  THE  MATTER  OF  JESUS’  TEACHING. 

Besides  the  instructions  themselves,  spread  at  large 
through  the  Gospels,  we  have  words  of  Jesus  in  re¬ 
gard  to  the  objects  and  substance  of  His  instructions. 

I  have  given  unto  them  the  words  which  thou  gavest 
me.2  Ye  seek  to  kill  7ne ,  a  man  that  hath  told  you  the 
truth . And  because  I  tell  you  the  truth  ye  be¬ 

lieve  me  not }  If  I  have  told  you  earthly  things  and  ye 
believe  not }  The  world  cannot  hate  you,  but  me  it 
hateth  ;  because  I  testify  of  it  that  the  zvorks  thereof 
are  evil}  These  are  the  words  which  I  spake  unto  you 
while  I  zvas  yet  with  you}  The  reference  is  to  His 
predictions  of  His  sufferings,  death  and  resurrection. 
No  man  knoweth  the  Father  save  the  Son ,  and  he  to 
zvhomsoever  the  Son  will  reveal  him }  I  have  mani¬ 
fested  thy  name  unto  the  men  which  thou  gavest  me  out 
of  the  world}  God’s  “  name  ”  here  signifies  His  at¬ 
tributes,  character,  and  purposes  of  grace.  I  have 
declared  unto  them  thy  name ,  and  will  declare  it}  I 
have  yet  many  thmgs  to  say  unto  you ,  but  ye  cannot 
bear  them  now.10 

In  these  words  are  summarized  the  instructions 

*Mat.  xiii.  16  ;  Luke  x.  24.  2  John  xvii.  8. 

3  John  viii.  40,  45.  4  John  iii.  12.  6  John  vii.  7. 

G  Luke  xxiv.  44.  7  Mat.  xi.  27.  8  John  xvii.  6. 

"John  xvii.  26.  10 John  xvi.  12. 


RE  LA  TIONS  OF  JESUS  A  S  MESSIAH  TO  MEN.  \  73 

which  Jesus  gave  while  in  the  world.  They  contain, 
He  says,  only  truth,  and  He  thereby  declares  His  in¬ 
fallibility.  They  relate  to  men,  to  Himself,  and  to 
God.  They  point  out  the  Way  of  Life. 

8l.  TEACHING  BY  PARABLES. 

Jesus  explained  his  manner  of  teaching:  To  the 
multitudes  He  spoke  generally  by  parables,  but  to 
His  disciples  He  interpreted  these  parables,  and  he 
gives  the  reason  :  Unto  yon  it  is  giveji  to  know  the 
mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven . For  zv]  10 so¬ 

ever  hath,  to  him  shall  be  given  and  he  shall  have  abun¬ 
dance }  Yet  much  that  He  said  was  obscure  also  to 
His  disciples.  Through  their  errors,  prejudices,  and 
small  attainments  in  spiritual  things,  they  found 
much  that  Jesus  said  enigmatical  and  difficult  to 
understand.  Jesus  noticed  this  and  promised  a 
better  time — was  it  when  they  should  have  received 
the  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  ?  or  was  it  not  till 
they  should  have  reached  His  presence  in  glory? 
These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you  in  proverbs  ;  but 
the  time  cometh  when  I  shall  no  more  speak  unto  you  in 
proverbs,  hit  I  shall  shozv  you  plainly  of  the  Father? 

These  words  of  Jesus  suggest  to  us  those  of  Paul, 
“  Now  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly,  but  then  face 
to  face  :  now  I  know  in  part,  but  then  I  shall  know 
even  as  also  I  am  known.” 3 

The  speaking  by  parables  reveals  a  mental  habit  of 


1  Mat.  xiii.  11-15  ;  Mark  iv.  11 ;  Luke  viii.  10. 

'John  xvi.  25.  3 1  Cor.  xiii.  12. 


174 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


Jesus  which  appears  indeed  in  all  His  language. 
Everything  that  came  before  Him  by  eye  or  ear,  was 
suggestive  to  Him  of  something  else  by  likeness,  con¬ 
trast  or  analogy.  The  beauty  of  the  flowers,  the 
provision  for  the  birds,  the  light  of  heaven,  the  salt  on 
the  table  ;  the  sowing  of  grain,  the  success  and  the 
failure  of  the  sown  seed,  the  lending  of  money,  the 
renting  of  a  vineyard,  the  work  in  a  vineyard — all 
suggested  analogies  in  spiritual  things,  and  thus 
afforded  illustrations  and  became  vehicles  of  truth. 
He  continually  covered  a  higher  meaning  in  a  plain 
word  at  the  same  time  that  He  used  that  word  in  its 
plain  sense.  When  He  spoke  of  the  “  leaven  ”  of  the 
Pharisees  and  of  the  Sadducees,  He  meant  their  doc¬ 
trine.  By  “  fishers  of  men  ”  He  meant  Gospel- 
preachers.  The  “  mustard-seed  ”  is  His  kingdom, 

small  at  first,  but  growing  great . It  is  a  style 

of  thought  and  language  highly  characteristic,  very 
entertaining,  awakening,  instructive.  Jesus  is  the 
highest  example  among  men  of  this  style  of  thought. 
In  everything  He  read  spiritual  truth  ;  saw  the 
higher  in  the  lower ;  made  the  visible  the  type  of 
the  invisible,  the  temporal  of  the  eternal.  And  this 
is  the  true  idea  of  the  universe  ;  the  lower  is  every¬ 
where  the  type  of  the  higher. 

82.  JESUS’  INVITATIONS  TO  MEN. 

Jesus  did  not  merely  teach  ;  He  invited  men  to 
come  to  Him  and  be  saved.  Plis  words  of  invitation 
are  full  of  Divine  benevolence. 

He  invited  the  miserable  to  receive  the  benefit  of 
His  miraculous  powers.  To  the  father  of  the  lunatic 


RE  LA  TIONS  OF  JESUS  A  S  MESSIAH  TO  MEN.  x  75 


boy  :  Bring  him  hither  to  me}  To  the  man  lying  at 
the  pool  of  Bethesda  :  Wilt  thou  be  made  whole  ? 2 
To  Bartimseus  :  What  wilt  thou  that  I  should  do  unto 
thee  ? 3  This  inviting  the  applications  of  the  wretched, 
is  a  type  of  His  earnest  benevolence  in  the  bestow- 
ment  of  spiritual  blessings.  He  did  not  permit  par¬ 
ents  to  be  hindered  when  bringing  their  children  to 
Him  :  Suffer  the  little  children  and  forbid  them  not  to 
come  unto  me}  To  the  woman  of  Samaria:  If  thou 
knewest  the  gift  of  God ,  and  who  it  is  that  saith  to 
thee ,  Give  me  to  drink,  thou  wouldst  have  asked  of  him 
and  he  would  have  given  thee  living  water ?  Using 
the  same  figure,  He  said  in  the  midst  of  the  multi¬ 
tudes  in  the  temple  :  If  any  man  thirst  let  him  come 
unto  me  and  drink I  Looking  upon  men  as  crushed 
down  by  heavy  burdens,  He  said  with  infinite  tender¬ 
ness  :  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 

laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest . Learn  of  me, 

and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls?  He  gives  the 
broadest  assurance  in  regard  to  every  applicant  :  Him 
that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out?  To  the 
self-satisfied  Loadiceans  He  said  :  I  counsel  thee  to  buy 
of  me  gold  tried  in  the  fire,  that  thou  mayest  be  rich, 
and  white  raiment,  that  thou  mayest  be  clothed?  And 
still  more  tenderly,  to  the  same  :  Behold  I  stand  at  the 
door  and  block  :  if  any  man  hear  my  voice  and  open 

1  Mat.  xvii.  17  ;  Mark  ix.  19  ;  Luke  ix.  41.  2John  v.  6. 

3  Luke  xviii.  41  ;  Mat.  xx.  32  ;  Mark  x.  51. 

4  Mat.  xix.  14;  Mark  x.  14;  Luke  xviii.  16. 

6  John  iv.  10.  6  John  vii.  37. 

7  Mat.  xi.  28,  29.  8  John  vi.  37.  9  Rev.  iii.  18. 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


1 76 

the  door ,  /  will  come  in  to  him ,  and  sup  with  him  and 
he  with  me}  At  the  very  close  of  the  Bible  we  have 
from  the  mouth  of  the  glorified  Jesus  one  of  the 
freest,  widest,  and  most  earnest  invitations  to  a  par¬ 
ticipation  in  Gospel  blessings  :  I,  Jesus,  have  sent  mine 
angel  to  testify  unto  you  these  things  in  the  churches. 

.  .  .  .And  the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say  Come :  and  let 
him  that  heareth  say  Come  :  and  let  him  that  is  athirst 
come :  and  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the  water  of 
life  freely? 

Human  language  was  never  used  more  forcibly  and 
urgently,  and  was  never  made  to  express  warmer, 
diviner  compassion.  We  must  consider,  too,  that  the 
feelings  of  Jesus  manifested  in  these  words,  came, 
doubtless,  often  to  expression.  All  who  heard  Him 
became  aware  of  the  Spirit  within  Him,  and  testified 
to  “  the  gracious  words  which  proceeded  out  of  His 
mouth.” 

83.  RESPONSIBILITY  OF  MEN  CONNECTED  WITH 
JESUS’  TEACHINGS  AND  INVITATIONS. 

The  duty  to  believe  and  obey  Jesus  being  plain,  and 
the  consequent  advantages  great,  there  is  a  corre¬ 
sponding  sin  in  neglecting  His  instructions,  and  conse¬ 
quences  proportionably  terrible.  Jesus  well  under¬ 
stood  the  fact  and  the  cause  of  the  heedlessness  of 
men,  and  He  met  it  in  His  own  way:  Therefore  speak 
I  to  them  in  parables ,  because  they  seeing  see  not ,  and 


1  Rev.  iii.  20. 


2  Rev.  xxii.  16,  17. 


RE  LA  TIONS  OF  JE  S  US  AS  ME  SSI  A  H  TO  MEN.  \  j  j 


hearing  they  hear  not,  neither  do  they  understand.  For 
this  people  s  heart  is  waxed  gross,  and  their  ears  are  dull 
of  hearing,  and  their  eyes  have  they  closed ;  lest  at  any 
time  they  should  see  with  their  eyes,  and  hear  with  their 
ears,  and  should  understand  with  their  heart,  and 
should  be  converted  and  I  should  heal  them}  To  them  it 
is  not  given  (to  know  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven).  .  .  .  for  whosoever  hath  not,  from  him  shall 
be  taken  away  even  that  he  hath } 

To  some  disputatious  hearers,  He  said  :  Why  do  ye 
not  understand  my  speech  ?  Even  because  ye  cannot 
hear  my  word :  And  because  I  tell  you  the  truth  ye  believe 
me  not }  Jesus  said  to  the  hesitating  Nicodemus  : 
This  is  the  condemnatio?i  that  light  is  come  into  the 
world  and  men  loved  darkness  rather  than  light}  It  is 
this  He  meant  also  when  He  said:  For  judgment  I 
am  come  into  this  world,  that  they  which  see  not  might 
see,  and  that  they  which  see  might  be  made  blind }  He 
fully  approved  the  Father’s  action  in  this  respect :  / 
thank  thee,  0  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  that 
thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent, 
and  hast  revealed  than  unto  babes.  Even  so,  Father, 
for  so  it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight }  He  divided  His 
hearers  into  two  classes :  Every  one  that  heareth 

these  sayings  of  mine  aud  doeth  them . And  every 

one  that  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine  and  doeth  them 
not.1 2 *  He  pronounced  a  woe  on  those  who  heard 

1  Mat.  xiii.  13-1 5. 

2  Mat.  xiii.  12;  Mark  iv.  11,  12;  Luke  viii.  10. 

8  John  viii.  43-45.  4 *  John  iii.  19.  6  John  ix.  39. 

6  Mat.  xi.  25  ;  Luke  x.  21.  7  Mat.  vii.  24,  26  ;  Luke  vi.  47,  49. 

8* 


178 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


Him  and  saw  His  miracles  (which  were  a  part  of 
His  instructions  and  their  evidence),  and  who  still 
repented  not  :  Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin  !  woe  unto  thee, 
Bethsaida  !  for  if  the  mighty  works  which  were  done 
in  you  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon,  they  would 

have  repented  long  ago  in  sackcloth  and  ashes . And 

thou,  Capernaum ,  which  art  exalted  unto  heaven,  shalt 
be  brought  doiv'n  to  hell ;  for  if  the  mighty  works  which 
have  been  done  in  thee,  had  been  done  in  Sodom,  it  woidd 
have  remained  until  this  day}  The  men  of  Nineveh 
shall  rise  in  judgment  with  this  generation,  and  shall 
condemn  it :  because  they  repented  at  the  preaching  of 
Jonas  ;  and  behold  a  greater  than  Jonas  is  here.  The 
queen  of  the  South  shall  rise  up  in  the  judgment  with 
this  generation  and  shall  condemn  it :  for  she  came 
from  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  to  hear  the  wis¬ 
dom  of  Solomon  ;  and,  behold,  a  greater  than  Solomon 
is  here} 

84.  JESUS’  PATIENCE  WITH  MEN  WHO  DELAY  TO  BE¬ 

LIEVE  AND  ACCEPT  HIM. 

He  bears  long  with  them  :  O  faithless  and  perverse 
generation  !  How  long  shall  I  be  with  you  ?  how  long 
shall  I  suffer  you  f1 2 3  And  I  gave  her  space  to  repent  of 
her  fornication  and  she  repented  not} 

85.  JESUS’  PITY  FOR  THOSE  WHO  REJECT  HIS  GRACE. 

Their  fate  is  inevitable,  but  it  moves  Him  with 
deepest  pity :  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  how  often 

1  Mat.  xi.  21-24  I  Luke  x.  13-15. 

2  Mat.  xii.  41,  42  ;  Luke  xi.  31,  32. 

3  Mat.  xvii.  17  ;  Mark  ix.  19  ;  Luke  ix.  41.  4  Rev.  ii.  21. 


RELA  TIONS  OF  JESUS  A  S  ME  SSI  A  H  TO  MEN.  \  yg 

would  I  have  -gathered  thy  children  together  even  as  a 
hen  gathercth  her  chickens  under  her  wings ,  and  ye 
would  not}  In  these  words  Jesus  recalled  to  mind 
the  many  efforts  He  had  made  to  draw  the  people  of 
Jerusalem  to  Himself;  His  forbearance,  notwithstand¬ 
ing  their  repeated  rejections;  the  renewed  zeal  with 
which,  after  each  repulse,  He  had  made  a  new  effort ; 
and  now  with  tears,  and  only  after  the  fullest  demon¬ 
stration  of  their  obstinacy  in  unbelief,  did  He  give 
over. 

The  further  dealing  by  Jesus  with  those  who  finally 
refuse  to  believe  and  obey  Him  will  be  shown  in  the 
chapters  on  His  relations  to  men  as  Judge.  In  the 
meantime  we  attend  to  what  He  explained  of  the 
methods  of  His  grace  for  men’s  salvation. 


1  Mat.  xxiii.  37  ;  Luke  xiii.  34. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS. 

86.  ACCEPTANCE  OF  JESUS’  INVITATION  BY  MEN. 

We  have  just  studied  Jesus’  representation  of  the 
rejection  of  His  offers  of  mercy  by  many  who  hear 
them.  Let  us  now  turn  to  what  He  said  of  the 
acceptance  of  those  offers  by  others,  and  their  own 
consequent  acceptance  by  Him. 

Jesus  looked  upon  men  as  diseased  with  sin,  as 
condemned,  as  lost.  In  order  to  appreciate  Him  as 
a  Saviour,  men  also  must  take  some  such  view  of 
themselves  and  their  condition.  He  said  :  They  that 
be  whole  need  not  a  physician,  but  they  that  are  sick. 
I  am  not  come  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners  to  re¬ 
pentance}  The  sense  of  spiritual  need  out  of  which 
comes  the  desire  for  help,  is  here  represented  as  like 
the  sense  of  sickness,  and  so  of  danger.  A  man  with 
this  sense  of  need  is  a  suitable  subject  for  Jesus’  help  ; 
and  Jesus  is  near  to  such,  ready  to  help  them.  The 
same  truth  is  conveyed  in  that  invitation  :  Come  unto 
me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden ,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest }  Here  the  sense  of  being  weary,  over¬ 
burdened,  weighed  down  by  a  crushing  weight,  is 

1  Mat.  ix.  12,  13  ;  Mark  ii.  17  ;  Luke  v.  31. 

2  Mat.  xi.  28. 

('180') 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS,  ig I 

used  to  describe  the  deep  feeling  of  need,  out  of 
which  springs  the  desire  for  help.  Again  :  If  any 
man  thirst ,  let  him  come  unto  me}  One  may  have 
more  or  less  clearness  of  knowledge  as  to  his  own 
actual  condition  ;  but  there  must  be  at  least  an  un¬ 
rest,  a  sense  of  need,  of  danger,  of  the  desirableness 
of  something  better,  to  put  a  man  upon  looking  out, 
listening,  inquiring.  The  constitution  of  our  nature 
is  such  that  without  some  feeling,  we  will  not  act  : 
with  it  we  may. 

Again,  Jesus  explained  His  Father’s  will  :  That 
every  one  which  seeth  the  Son  and  believeth  on  him  may 
have  everlasting  life}  To  “  see  ”  Jesus  in  the  sense 
of  the  word  here,  is  not  only  to  have  some  degree  of 
knowledge  about  Him  as  a  Saviour,  but  to  have  one’s 
mind  distinctly  turned  to  Him,  to  apprehend  the 
fact  that  Jesus  may  be  one’s  own  Saviour  ;  that  Jesus 
possesses  all  the  necessary  qualities  and  powers  there¬ 
for. 

To  the  same  effect  is  that  saying:  Verily ,  verily ,  / 
say  unto  you ,  the  hour  is  coming ,  and  now  is,  when  the 
dead  (the  spiritually  dead)  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son 
of  God,  and  they  that  hear  shall  live} 

A  man  must  also  “hear”  Jesus;  and  this  is  not 
simply  to  learn  and  know  the  essential  parts  of  the 
doctrine  of  Christ,  but  to  have  his  mind  and  heart 
turned  to  them  as  words  of  truth  and  life,  as  precious 
truth  suited  to  himself  and  necessary  for  himself. 

Jesus  taught  also  that  faith  in  Him  is  a  condition 


1  John  vii.  37. 


2  John  vi.  40. 


3  John  v.  25. 


182 


CHRIST  HIS  0  W N  WITNESS. 


of  acceptance  for  men.  He  that  believeth  on  him  is  not 
condemned}  God  ....  gave  his  only  begotten  Son  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish ,  but  have 
everlasting  life }  This  is  the  work  of  God ,  that  ye  be¬ 
lieve  on  him  whom  he  hath  sent ?  While  ye  have  the 
light ,  believe  in  the  light,  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of 
light}  This  is  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  that  every 
one  which  believeth  on  him  (the  Son)  may  have  everlast¬ 
ing  life }  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you ,  he  that  be¬ 
lieveth  on  me  hath  everlasting  life}  He  that  heareth 
my  word  and  believeth  on  him  that  sent  me  hath  ever¬ 
lasting  life} 

Again,  men  must  “come  to  ”  Jesus:  Come  unto  me, 
all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden}  If  any  man 
thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me  arid  drink}  Him  that 
cometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out}0  The  com¬ 
ing  intended  by  Jesus  is  equivalent  to  believing  in 
Him.  For  He  says  :  lam  the  Bread  of  Life  ;  he  that 
cometh  to  me  shall  never  hunger,  arid  he  that  believeth 
on  me  shall  never  thirst .n  The  words  explain  and 
supplement  each  other.  To  believe  in  Jesus  is  not 
merely  to  assent  with  the  mind  to  the  Bible  truth 

concerning  Him,  but  to  take  up  this  truth  for  one’s 

• 

self,  and  act  upon  it  as  becomes  a  man  truly  in 
earnest.  He  who  truly  believes  in  Jesus,  and  comes 
to  Him,  applies  to  Him  with  all  the  earnestness  of 
Bartimacus,  lays  hold  of  Jesus,  trusts  in  Jesus,  casts 


1  John  iii.  t8. 
4  John  xii.  36. 
7  John  v.  24. 

10  John  vi.  37. 


2  John  iii.  16. 
6  John  vi.  40. 
8  Mat.  xi.  28. 
11  John  vi.  35. 


8  John  vi.  29. 
6  John  vi.  47. 

9  John  vii.  37. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS.  ^3 


himself,  with  all  his  soul-needs,  on  Jesus  as  a  Saviour. 
Only  when  belief  works  out  in  such  action  of  mind 
and  heart  is  it  the  required  faith. 

We  have  this  relation  of  Jesus  to  men  under  anoth¬ 
er  figure  :  I  am  the  Door :  by  me  if  any  man  enter  in 
he  shall  be  saved} 

He  who  believes  in  and  comes  to  Jesus  as  just 
described,  passes  thereby  through  Jesus  as  the 
“  Door  ”  into  His  fold.  Jesus  declared  of  Himself: 
No  man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me .2  But  to 
look  to  Jesus  and  put  one’s  self  in  His  hands  for 
salvation,  is  to  enter  by  Him  as  the  Door  into  the 
fold  of  His  sheep,  is  to  “  come  unto  the  Father  by  ” 
Jesus  Christ  in  whom  the  Father  is  well  pleased. 

The  terms,  then,  by  which  Jesus  has  expressed  and 
described  that  acceptance  of  Himself  by  men,  by 
which  they  secure  an  acceptance  of  themselves  by 
Him,  and  the  gift  of  salvation  from  Him,  are  these  : 
to  feel  their  need  of  salvation  :  to  see  Him  as  the 
Saviour  :  to  hear  Him  :  to  believe  on  Him  :  to  come 
to  Him  :  and  to  pass  by  Him  as  the  Door  into  the 
fold  of  His  sheep. 

87.  JESUS’  JOY  IN  RECEIVING  THOSE  WHO  COME  TO 

HIM. 

This  point  has  been  partly  elucidated  by  quota¬ 
tions  under  the  head  of  Jesus’  Experiences  of  Joy 
and  Sorrow,3  and  of  His  Exhibition  of  Traits  of  Char¬ 
acter.4  But  we  refer  again  to  His  parables  of  the 

1  John  x.  7,  9.  2  John  xiv.  6.. 

3  See  §§  34  -37-  P-  64,  sq.  4  See  §  38. 


1 84  CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 

Lost  Sheep,  of  the  Lost  Piece  of  Silver,  and  of  the 
Prodigal  Son,1  which  were  intended  by  Him  to  show 
why  He  mingled  with  publicans  and  sinners,  namely, 
because  of  His  desire  to  do  them  good,  and  because  of 
the  joy  of  Himself  and  of  all  heaven  at  the  salvation 
of  a  soul.  The  silent  answer  at  the  close  of  each 
parable  is,  “  Such  joy  I  feel  at  rescuing  any  sinner, 
and  therefore  I  am  with  them.”  He  showed  to 
His  disciples  the  same  zeal  and  joy  when  He  refused 
to  eat  because  of  being  engaged  in  teaching  the 
Samaritan  woman  :  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  me .2  He  showed  almost  a  transport  of  joy 
when  the  men  of  the  city,  excited  by  the  woman’s 
story,  were  hastening  out  to  Him  :  Say  not  ye,  There 
are  yet  four  months  and  then  cometh  harvest :  behold  1 
say  unto  you,  Lift  up  your  eyes  and  look  on  the  fields ; 
for  they  are  white  already  to  harvest.  And  he  that 
reapeth,  receiveth  wages  and  gathereth  fruit  unto  life 
eternal ;  that  both  he  that  soweth  and  he  that  reapeth 
may  rejoice  together ? 

This  joy  of  Jesus  in  saving  souls  is  the  necessary 
counterpart  of  His  pity  and  sorrow  at  their  rejection 
of  His  offers.  Or  rather,  His  joy  in  saving  souls  is 
the  positive  element,  of  which  His  sorrow  at  men’s 
self-caused  ruin  is  the  negative  exercise.  Indifferent, 
Jesus  never  was  and  never  can  be,  at  the  decision  for 
good  or  ill  of  a  soul’s  destiny.  This  fact  explains 
His  activity,  the  measures  which  He  set  on  foot  to 
have  the  Gospel  offer  made  to  every  creature,  and  the 


1  Luke  ch.  xv. 


2  John  iv.  34. 


3  John  iv.  35,  36. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS.  185 

promise  of  His  gracious  presence  to  the  end  of  time. 
That  great  command,  “  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature,”  is  the  breath  of 
His  mercy  breathed  over  the  race. 

88.  THE  CONDITIONS  OF  DISCIPLESHIP  AS  FIXED  BY 

JESUS. 

The  steps  (enumerated  and  described  in  section  86) 
by  which  men  are  to  accept  of  Jesus,  are  made  by 
Him  also  Conditions  of  Discipleship,  and  are  neces¬ 
sary  to  the  state  and  relation  of  an  accepted  follower 
throughout  one’s  earthly  life.  Jesus  laid  down,  too, 
other  Conditions  of  Discipleship  which  apply  from 
the  moment  that  a  man  first  embraces  Him  by  faith 
and  thenceforward  to  his  life’s  end. 

Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord,  and  ye  say  well ;  for 
so  lam.  Disciples  of  Christ  are,  by  their  very  name, 
learners  in  His  school,  receivers  of  His  teachings  and 
commands.  This  implies  the  duty  of  attention  and 
diligence  in  hearing,  and  careful  anxiety  to  under¬ 
stand,  retain,  and  apply — just  such  interest  and  effort 
as  He  commended  in  His  disciples  and  rewarded. 

He  that  loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  me,  is  not 
worthy  of  me  y  and  he  that  loveth  son  or  daughter  more 
than  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me}  Whosoever  he  be  of  yon 
that  for  sake  th  not  all  that  he  hath  he  cannot  be  my 
disciple }  To  the  rich  young  man  He  said  :  Sell  all 
that  thou  hast  and  give  to  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have 
treasure  in  heaven,  and  come  follow  me} 

1  Mat.  x.  37. 

3  Mat.  xix.  21  ;  Mark  x.  21  ;  Luke  xviii.  22. 


2  Luke  xiv.  33. 


186 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


The  requirement  that  we  forsake  and  even  hate  all 
else — property,  nearest  friends,  everything  valuable 
in  life — for  Jesus’  sake  is  indeed  a  high  one.  The 
essence  of  the  requirement  is  that  we  value  Jesus,  His 
grace,  and  our  duty  to  Him  above  everything  else; 
so  that  whenever  and  to  whatever  extent  the  love  and 
service  of  Jesus  may  call  us  to  give  up  anything  else, 
we  shall  do  it  cheerfully.  The  actual  exercise  of  this 
spirit  by  Christians  has  always  led,  and  will  lead,  to 
much  consecration,  self-denial,  and  benevolent  activ¬ 
ity  in  the  same  line  of  effort  as  that  which  Jesus  pur¬ 
sued  in  His  life.  By  requiring  the  young  man,  even 
as  a  condition  of  becoming  a  disciple,  to  sell  all  he  had 
and  give  to  the  poor,  a  condition  which  he  was  not 
ready  to  meet,  Jesus  showed  him  that  he  lacked  this 
preference  of  Jesus  above  all;  that  he  preferred  his 
riches  to  Christ.  This  was  a  special  order  given  to 
him,  a  test  for  that  case ;  not  a  general  law,  as  is 
plain  enough  from  the  New  Testament  history. 

With  like  meaning  we  find  :  He  that  taketh  not  his 
cross  a7id  followeth  after  me  is  not  worthy  of  me}  Who¬ 
soever  doth  not  bear  his  cross  arid  come  after  me  cannot 
be  my  disciple .2  If  any  man  will  come  after  me  let  him 
deny  himself  and  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me .3  If 
any  man  will  come  after  me  let  him  deny  himself  and 
take  up  his  cross  daily  and  follow  me}  If  any  man 
serve  me  let  him  follow  me? 

To  “take  up  the  cross,”  is  to  prepare  one’s  self  to 
bear  cheerfully  and  patiently  whatever  obloquy,  shame, 

1  Mat.  x.  38.  2  Luke  xiv.  27. 

9Mat.  xvi.  24;  Mark  viii.  34.  4  Luke  ix.  23.  5  John  xii.  26. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS,  jg/ 

or  loss  the  faithful  service  of  Jesus  may  bring  upon  us, 
even  unto  death.  To  “  deny  himself”  is  to  disregard 
our  natural  shrinking  from  suffering  and  loss,  and  to 
reject  that  which  is  naturally  desirable  when  incon¬ 
sistent  with  fidelity  to  Jesus.  To  “follow”  Christ  is 
to  yield  ovrselves  cordially  and  entirely  to  His  con¬ 
trol  as  our  Pattern,  Guide,  and  Master. 

Jesus  further  said:  Whosoever  shall  confess  me  be¬ 
fore  men,  him  will  I  confess  also  before  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven — before  the  angels  of  God :  but  who¬ 
soever  shall  deity  me  before  men ,  him  will  I  also  deny 
before  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven .l 

To  “confess  Christ”  before  men  is  to  own  our¬ 
selves  His  disciples  publicly  and  before  the  world.  It 
most  certainly  includes,  for  all  ordinary  cases,  such  a 
public  profession  of  His  name  as  is  implied  in  church 
membership.  It  implies  the  letting  our  character  as 
Christians  be  known  by  the  company  we  keep  and  by 
our  conscientious  walk  among  men ;  also  by  our 
direct  declarations  whenever  fidelity  to  Him  requires 
them,  and  at  whatever  forfeiture.  So  the  martyrs 
confessed  Him  before  their  judges  and  in  the  very 
fires  and  the  dens  of  wild  beasts. 

Jesus  looked  for  obedience  and  service  from  His 
disciples  :  Why  call  ye  me  Lord ,  Lord ,  and  do  not  the 
things  which  L  say  ?2  Teaching  them  to  observe  all 
things  whatsoever  I  command  you?  If  ye  continue  in 
my  word  then  are  ye  my  disciples  indeed?  If  ye  keep 
my  commandments  ye  shall  abide  in  my  love ?  If  any 

J  Mat.  x.  32,  33  ;  Luke  xii.  8,  9.  2  Luke  vi.  46. 

8  Mat.  xxviii.  20.  4  John  viii.  31.  bJohn  xv.  10. 


1 38 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


man  serve  me ,  him  will  my  Father  honor l  He  that 
hath  my  commandments  and  keepeth  them ,  he  it  is  that 
loveth  me .2  Verily  I  say  unto  you ,  If  a  man  keep  my 
sayings  he  shall  never  see  death } 

The  term  “  keeping  the  sayings  ”  or  “  command¬ 
ments  ”  of  Jesus  needs  no  explanation.  The  require¬ 
ment  is  a  high  one  and  often  repeated.  Confoimity 
to  it  is  obviously  a  necessary  condition  of  real  sub¬ 
jection  to  Jesus.  • 

Again  we  have :  Herein  is  my  Father  glorified  that 
ye  bear  much  fruit :  so  shall  ye  be  my  disciples} 

To  ‘‘bear  fruit”  is  to  exercise  and  exhibit  the 
Christian  graces,  and  to  do  good  unto  all  men  as  we 
have  opportunity,  especially  by  efforts  for  their  salva¬ 
tion. 

And  again  :  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you, 
That  ye  love  one  another ;  By  this  shall  all  men 
know  that  ye  are  my  disciples  if  ye  have  love  o?ie  to 
another } 

We  endeavor  now,  after  our  manner,  to  gather  into 
one  view  the  words  of  Jesus  on  the  Terms  of  Disciple- 
ship. 

Christ  required  that  His  disciples  take  Him  as  their 
Teacher  and  learn  of  Him;  that  they  forsake  every¬ 
thing  else,  even  the  nearest  kindred  and  most  valuable 
possessions,  when  to  retain  them  might  be  inconsistent 
with  fidelity  to  Him  ;  that  they  take  up  their  cross, 
deny  themselves,  and  follow  Him ;  that  they  confess 
Him  before  men  ;  take  Him  as  their  Lord  ;  obey  His 

2  John  xiv.  21.  3  John  viii.  51. 

6  John  xiii.  34,  35. 


1  John  xii.  26. 
4  John  xv.  8. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  RELIEFERS.  ^9 

commandments;  abide  in  Him;  bear  fruits  of  piety  ; 
and  love  their  fellow  disciples. 

These  conditions  of  discipleship,  established  by 
Christ  himself,  are  an  unchangeable  law  for  all  who 
would  be  saved  by  Him.  The  demands  are  high  :  in¬ 
deed  it  does  not  appear  how  they  could  be  higher. 
They  show  Jesus’  sense  of  His  own  worth  to  His  peo¬ 
ple,  and  of  the  extent  of  His  claims  upon  them.  But 
lest  we  should  demur  and  refuse  to  accept  these  con¬ 
ditions,  it  behooves  us  to  remember  that  He  who  es¬ 
tablished  them  not  only  can  do  no  wrong,  but  has 
actually  done  far  more  for  us  than  He  requires  from 
us,  and  that  He  will  give  to  those  who  obey  Him  far 
more  than  He  requires  them  to  surrender,  yea,  a 
hundred  fold.1 

89.  THOSE  WHO  COME  TO  JESUS  WERE  CHOSEN  BY 

HIMSELF. 

Jesus,  as  we  have  seen,  traced  very  clearly  the  re¬ 
jection  of  Himself  by  one  part  of  men  to  a  source  in 
themselves,  namely,  to  their  love  of  sin  and  the  world, 
and  their  hatred  of  His  holiness  and  His  truth.  To 
what  ultimate  cause  did  He  trace  the  faith  and  obe¬ 
dience  of  those  who  embrace  Him  ? 

Let  us  hear  Him. 

From  that  time  many  of  His  disciples  went  back 
and  walked  no  more  with  Him.  Then  said  Jesus 
unto  the  twelve,  Will  ye  also  go  away  f  Simon  Peter 
answered  Him,  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go?  Thou 


1  See  Chapters  XII.,  XIII.,  XIV. 


CHRIST  HIS  0 IV N  WITNESS. 


IQO 


hast  the  words  of  eternal  life.  And  we  believe  and 
are  sure  that  thou  art  that  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  liv¬ 
ing  God.  Jesus  answered  them,  Have  not  I  chosen  you 
twelve  ?  and  one  of  you  is  a  devil} 

Doubtless  the  choice  of  the  disciples  by  Jesus  here 
spoken  of,  refers  principally  to  the  choice  of  them  to 
the  Apostleship.  But  that  Jesus  comprehended  also 
in  the  scope  of  the  word  His  choice  of  them  to  dis- 
cipleship  appears  from  the  connection.  He  found  the 
reason  of  their  adherence,  while  others  forsook  Him, 
in  His  choice  of  them.  At  the  same  moment  He  ex¬ 
cepted  Judas  from  the  number  of  those  for  whom 
Peter  answered  and  of  whom  He  spoke. 

The  reference  of  the  words  “  I  have  chosen  ”  to  His 
choice  of  Peter  and  the  rest  to  discipleship,  is  con¬ 
firmed  by  Jesus’  use  of  this  word  in  the  same  way  in 
the  passages  following. 

After  washing  their  feet  he  said  :  I  speak  not  of  you 
all;  I  know  whom  I  have  chosen}  Judas  is  again  ex¬ 
cepted,  as  he  is  in  these  other  words  :  Those  that  thou 
gavest  me  I  have  kept ,  and  none  of  them  is  lost  but  the 
son  of  perdition,  that  the  scripture  might  be  fulfilled ? 
Again  :  Because  ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I  have  chosen 
you  out  of  the  world,  therefore  the  world  hateth  you} 
Ye  have  not  chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen  you }  And 


aJohn  vi.  66-71,  “chosen,”  Greek,  from  knli-yu,  to 

select  from. 

2  John  xiii.  18,  “whom  I  have  chosen,”  Greek,  ovq  ttjeheZu/Mjv. 

3  John  xvii.  12. * 2 3  4  John  xv.  19. 

6  John  xv.  16.  In  these  last  three  passages  the  Greek  word  for 
‘chosen”  is  the  same  as  before. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS.  \g\ 


then  shall  he  send  forth  his  angels  and  gather  together 
his  elect  from  the  four  winds ?  The  Son  quickeneth 
whom  he  willi* 2 3 * *  N'o  man  knoweth  the  Father  save  the 
San,  and  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son  will  reveal  him? 

The  two  Greek  words  used  in  these  passages,  which 
are  translated  “  choose  ”  and  “  will,”  are  both  very 
plain  (see  Note).  The  latter  expresses  will,  or  de¬ 
liberate  purpose.  The  former  signifies  literally,  to 
select  or  pick  out,  from  a  larger  number.  In  the 
middle  voice,  as  here  used,  it  means  to  select  or 
choose  out  for  one’s  self.  Jesus  therefore  asserted 
that  He  selected  His  followers  out  from  the  world — 
from  the  mass  of  men ;  that  He  selected  them,  not 
they  Him,  and  that  He  selected  them  for  Himself. 
They  therefore  are  now,  and  will  be  at  the  judgment, 
His  elect,  or  selected  ones.  In  this  action,  too,  He 
is  free  :  He  selects,  quickens,  whom  He  will. 

90.  THOSE  WHO  BELIEVED  IN  JESUS  WERE  GIVEN 
TO  HIM  BY  THE  FATHER. 

All  that  the  Father  giveth  me  shall  come  to  me?  As 
thou  hast  given  him  power  over  all  flesh  that  he  should 
give  eternal  life  to  as  many  as  thou  hast  given  him?  1 


J  Mat.  xxiv.  31  ;  Mark  xiii.  27,  “  his  elect,”  Greek,  rove  LcleKrobc 
avrov,  a  verbal  noun  from  the  same  verb,  t/cTiycj,  “  His  selected 
ones.” 

2  John  vi.  21. — diXu,  expressing  deliberate  purpose. 

3  Mat.  xi.  27,  Luke  x.  22.  j3ov?,ofiai,  which  expresses  more  of 

_  desire  or  wish. 

*  John  vi.  3 7,  “giveth,”  Greek,  bduai.  6  John  xvii.  2. 


192 


CHRIST  IIIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


have  manifested  thy  name  unto  the  men  which  thou 
gavest  me  out  of  the  world :  thine  they  were ,  and  thou 
gavest  them  me}  I  pray  for  them  :  I  pray  not  for  the 
world,  but  for  them  which  thou  hast  given  me ;  for 
they  are  thine }  Holy  Father,  keep  through  thine  ozvn 
name  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me}  Father,  I  will 
that  they  also  whom  thou  hast  given  me  be  with  me 
where  I  am,  that  they  may  behold  my  glory  which  thou 
hast  given  me} 

In  these  words  Jesus  recognized,  in  His  true  disci¬ 
ples,  a  gift  from  the  Father.  And  His  repetition  of  the 
fact  so  often,  in  this  prayer,  shows  that  it  was  to  Him 
a  fact  of  importance.  He  urged  it  as  a  mighty  plea 
in  their  behalf.  “They  are,  Father,  thy  gift  to  me; 
keep  them.”  We  must  recognize  the  fact  which  is 
expressed  by  the  word.  The  word  speaks  of  a  trans¬ 
action  between  the  Father  and  the  Son,  momentous 
to  men,  but  understood  best  by  the  parties  to  it,  who 
also  are,  therefore,  its  best  interpreters.  Speaking  of 
it,  Jesus,  one  of  the  parties,  uses  one  of  the  simplest 
words  of  human  language,  which  expresses  one  of  the 
most  common  of  all  human  acts,  and  which  can  not  be 
made  plainer  by  any  exposition.  Those  who  believe, 
the  Father  gave  to  Jesus ;  they  became  His  as  the  re¬ 
sult  of  this  giving.  This  certainly  determines  the 
nature  of  the  act. 

This  gift  by  the  Father  to  the  Son  had  its  occasion 
and  ground  in  the  general  scheme  of  redemption 

JJohn  xvii.  6.  2  John  xvii.  9.  8  John.  xvii.  11. 

4  John  xvii.  24.  In  all  these  passages  the  Greek  word  is  the 
same,  ditiu/u,  to  give. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS.  193 

through  Christ,  and  ultimately  in  the  Divine  love  and 
mercy  which  are  the  source  of  that  scheme. 

91.  THOSE  WHO  BELIEVE  ARE  TAUGHT  AND  QUICK¬ 
ENED  AND  DRAWN  TO  JESUS  BY  HIMSELF  AND  BY 

THE  FATHER. 

The  two  steps  or  acts  in  the  line  of  the  salvation  of 
believers  which  we  have  just  considered,  namely,  the 
choice  of  them  by  the  Son,  and  the  gift  of  them  to 
Him  by  the  Father,  are  both  of  them  outside  of  the 
objects  themselves,  that  is,  of  the  persons  chosen  and 
given.  But  these  must  themselves  be  reached  and  be 
individually  and  directly  acted  on.  This  part  of  the 
work,  so  far  as  it  is  external,  has  been  already  pre¬ 
sented  and  studied.  It  includes  the  Preaching  of  the 
Gospel  to  them,  and  the  Invitation  of  them  to  a  par¬ 
ticipation  in  Gospel  blessings.  But  Jesus  spoke  of 
still  further  measures  in  their  behalf,  gracious  agencies 
more  special  and  spiritual. 

They  are  drawn  to  Jesus  by  the  Father  and  the 
Son.  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw 
all  men  unto  me}  A To  man  can  come  unto  me  except 
the  Father  which  hath  sent  me  drazv  him,  and  I  will 
raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  It  is  written  in  the  proph¬ 
ets,  And  they  shall  be  all  taught  of  God.  Every  man, 
therefore ,  that  hath  heard  and  hath  learned  of  the 
Father,  cometh  unto  me} 

Jesus  uttered  the  first  words  here  quoted  on  occa¬ 
sion  of  the  visit  of  certain  Greeks  (Gentiles),  which 


’John  xii.  32. 

9 


2  John  vi.  44,  45. 


194 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


kindled  His  mind  with  the  prospect  of  the  ingather¬ 
ing  into  His  Church  of  multitudes  from  all  nations. 
This  seems  to  be  the  point  and  direction  of  the 
thought.  He  claimed  the  agency  producing  the  re¬ 
sult — He  would  “  draw  ”  them.  In  the  next  passage, 
He  declares  that  every  one  who  comes  to  Him  is 
“  drawn  ”  by  the  Father,  here  ascribing  the  same 
kind  of  agency,  with  the  same  result,  to  the  Father. 
We  are  prepared  to  understand  this  co-working  from 
our  studies  on  the  Relations  of  the  Father  and  the 
Son.  But  of  what  nature  is  this  “drawing?”  Ob¬ 
serve,  that  having  spoken  of  the  Father’s  drawing 
men  to  Him,  Jesus  immediately  added  :  It  is  written 
in  the  prophets,  And  they  shall  be  all  taught  of  God, 
and  therefrom  proceeded  to  draw  this  conclusion  : 
Every  mart,  therefore,  that  hath  heard  and  hath  learned 
of  the  Father  cometh  unto  me.  He  evidently  intended 
•  to  explain  the  Father’s  “  drawing”  as  a  “teaching” 
— a  teaching,  the  result  of  v/hich  is  that  every  learner 
comes  to  Jesus.  An  example  of  it  we  have  in  the 
case  of  Peter,  concerning  whom  Jesus  declared  on 
one  occasion  :  Blessed  art  thou ,  Simon  Barjona  ;  for 
flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee ,  but  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven } 

The  Son  draws  men  to  Himself  as  well  as  the 
Father,  and  in  the  same  way,  namely,  by  inward, 
effectual  teaching.  It  is  different  from  His  ordinary 
teaching  while  in  the  flesh,  and  from  the  teaching  of 
His  ministers.  He  claimed  such  an  agency  in  His 


1  Mat.  xvi.  17. 


RE  LA  T10NS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS.  ig* 


saying  :  No  man  knoweth  the  Father  save  the  Son ,  and 
he  to  whomsoever  the  Son  will  reveal  him}  He  who  is 
thus  taught  by  the  Son  “knows”  the  Father,  and 
the  result  is  eternal  life:  And  this  is  life  eternal  to 
know  thee,  the  only  true  God }  The  words  that  I  speak 
unto  you  they  are  spirit  and  they  are  life } 

The  Father  and  the  Son  draw  men  therefore  by  a 
teaching.  The  teachers  are  divine.  The  work  is 
suited  to  the  nature  of  the  subjects  as  intellectual 
and  moral  beings.  It  begins  with  the  understanding: 
it  produces  there  a  clear  apprehension  and  a  thorough 
conviction  of  the  truth  ;  but  it  goes  on  to  produce 
appropriate  effects  upon  the  will  and  the  life. 

Jesus  described  this  same  Agency  and  its  effects 
by  other  terms  also.  He  called  it  a  “  quickening”  or 
making  alive.  This  is  ascribed,  as  before,  to  both  the 
Father  and  Himself. 

As  the  Father  raiseth  up  the  dead  and  quickeneth 
them,  even  so  the  Son  quickeneth  whom  he  will}  As  the 
Father  hath  life  in  himself,  even  so  hath  he  given  to 
the  Son  to  have  life  in  himself }  The  hour  is  coming, 
and  now  is,  when  the  dead  (spiritually  dead)  shall  hear 
the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  arid  they  that  hear  shall 
live } 

The  word  “  quicken,”  implies  more  than  “  teach,” 
which  is  a  work  directed  primarily  upon  the  intelli¬ 
gence  ;  and  also  more  than  “  draw,”  wherein  there 
may  be  more  or  less  of  power.  It  implies  a  previous 
state  of  death  in  the  subject  (spiritual,  of  course),  and 

1  Mat.  xi.  27  ;  Luke  x.  22. 1  2  John  xvii.  3.  3  John  vi.  63. 

John  v.  21.  Hoi111  v-  26.  6  John  v.  25. 


196 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


expresses  the  imparting  to  the  subject  a  new  (spirit¬ 
ual)  life.  It  corresponds  therefore,  in  meaning,  to 
the  words  “new  birth,”  “regeneration,”  “renova¬ 
tion,”  which  are  applied  in  Scripture  to  this  same 
Divine  work  on  the  souls  of  men.  Such  a  work  is 
ivrought  in  men  by  the  Father. 

The  same  words  of  Jesus  ascribe  the  same  agency 
to  Himself.  He  too  quickens  souls,  makes  them 
spiritually  alive,  and,  we  have  a  right  to  believe,  in 
the  same  way  as  the  Father.  The  same  claim  is 
made  in  still  other  words.  In  the  interpretation 
of  the  parable  of  the  Tares  we  have  :  He  that  soweth 
the  good  seed  is  the  Son  of  man}  Here  “  the  seed  ”  is 
not  the  word  of  God,  as  it  is  in  the  parable  of  the 
Sower ;  for :  The  good  seed  are  the  children  of  the  king¬ 
dom}  Jesus  sows  them — He  is  the  Author  and 
Source  of  their  life  and  of  their  character  as  children. 

Again  Jesus  said,  using  another  figure:  If  thou 
knewest  the  gift  of  God  and  zvho  it  is  that  saith  to 
thee,  Give  me  to  drink ,  thou  zvouldst  have  asked  of  him 
and  he  zvould  have  given  thee  living  zv at er . Who¬ 

soever  drinketh  of  the  zvater  that  I  shall  give  him  shall 
never  thirst ,  but  the  zvater  that  I  shall  give  him  shall 
be  in  him  a  zvcll  of  zvater  springing  up  into  everlasting 
life}  The  living  (that  is,  vitalizing)  water,  is  the  Spirit 
which  He  gives.  So  the  Evangelist  explains  it  in 
another  placed 

Under  still  another  figure  Jesus  described  Himself 
as  the  source  of  spiritual  life  to  His  people  :  I  am  the 


1  Mat.  xiii.  37. 

3  John  iv.  10,  14. 


2  Verse  38. 

4  John  vii.  38,  39. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS,  igy 

true  Vine . I  am  the  vine ,  ye  are  the  branches.  He 

that  abideth  in  me  and  I  in  him  the  same  bringcth  forth 
much  fruit ;  for  without  me  ye  can  do  nothing} 

By  this  beautiful  and  intelligible  image  we  see  that 
there  is  a  vital  union  established  between  Jesus  and 
such  as  believe  on  Him,  through  which  they  receive 
spiritual  life,  and  without  which  they  would  be  dead. 

Finally,  by  that  word  I  am  the  Life,  in  the  saying, 
I  am  the  Way,  and  the  Truth ,  and  the  Life?  Jesus 
directly  claimed  to  be  the  author  of  spiritual  life 
to  men.  This  is  His  office.  Yet  in  this  as  in  every¬ 
thing  else,  The  Father  worketh  hitherto  and  the 
Son  works. 

What  can  be  more  fundamental  in  a  creature  than 
a  new  life  ?  Life  is  the  beginning  and  the  condition 
of  every  other  attribute.  A  new  life  introduces  the  re¬ 
cipient  to  a  new  career  and  experience,  in  which  old 
things  are  passed  away,  and  all  things  are  become  new.3 
The  agent  in  such  a  work  can  not  be  less  than 
Divine. 

Thus  in  this  work  upon  men  which  results  in  their 
truly  believing  in  Jesus  and  being  accepted  of  Him, 
we  have  learned  to  recognize  these  Divine  operations  : 
They  are  “taught,”  that  is,  made  to  know  Jesus  and 
the  truth  concerning  Him,  and  so  are  “  drawn  ”  to  the 
Son  ;  and  they  are  “  quickened,”  that  is,  made  spir¬ 
itually  alive,  and  so  introduced  into  a  new  life.  This 
“drawing,”  “teaching,”  and  “quickening”  are  effect¬ 
ed  by  both  the  Father  and  the  Son,  and  that  by 


1  John  xv.  i,  5. 


2  John  xiv.  6. 


3  2  Cor.  v.  17. 


iqg  CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 

means  of  the  Spirit,  who  is  described  as  “  life-giving 
water”  conferred  by  the  Father  and  the  Son,  and 
received  into  the  soul  by  the  subjects  of  the  gracious 
work.1 

Putting  all  together,  though  told  by  Jesus  that  in 
working  the  new-birth,  the  Spirit  is  like  the  wind,  not 
only  unseen  but  entirely  beyond  our  ken,  we  may,  per¬ 
haps,  venture  to  say,  that  when  by  the  “  teaching  ”  of 
the  Father  and  the  Son,  the  truth  is  clearly  and 
powerfully  presented  to  the  understanding  of  a  man, 
and  by  their  united  “drawing”  the  loving  invitations 
of  the  Gospel  begin  to  work  upon  his  heart,  then  the 
Holy  Spirit,  at  the  same  time,  takes  off  the  pressure 
of  the  spiritual  death,  which  prevents  the  soul’s  act¬ 
ing  in  accordance  with  the  original  laws  of  its  being, 
removes  the  hatred  toward  God,  and  truth,  and  good¬ 
ness,  inspires  the  filial  feeling  toward  God  which  be¬ 
longed  originally  to  it,  and  so  helps  it  to  respond  like 
a  child,  with  love  and  confidence,  to  the  offers  of  the 
Father. 

This  is  the  beginning  of  a  new  life — new,  because 
before  there  was  in  the  soul  only  spiritual  death,  not 
new  in  the  sense  of  unnatural.  It  is  the  only  life  fully 
consistent  with  man’s  original  constitution.  When 
this  life  begins  in  a  man  then  first  he  has  a  true  life, 
a  life  in  which  all  his  powers  and  endowments  act  in 
harmony. 

The  words  of  Jesus  sustain  such  a  view  as  this  of 
the  new  life  begun  in  true  believers,  and  so  does  the 
actual  experience  of  His  people. 

1  John  vii.  38,  39. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS.  jgg 


92.  THE  VITAL  UNION  ESTABLISHED  BETWEEN  JESUS 
AND  HIS  PEOPLE  IS  PERPETUAL  AND  PERPETU 
ALLY  EFFECTIVE. 

The  new  spiritual  life  received  from  Jesus  through 
men’s  accepting  Him  and  being  accepted  by  Him.  is 
to  be  sustained  in  the  same  way  that  it  was  begun, 
namely,  by  a  perpetuation  of  those  relations  to  Him 
into  which  they  have  come.  We  quote  more  fully 
than  before  His  words  on  this  point: 

I  am  the  true  Vine ,  and  my  Father  is  the  husband¬ 
man.  Abide  in  me  and  I  in  you.  As  the  branch  can¬ 
not  bear  fruit  of  itself  except  it  abide  in  the  vine ,  no 
more  can  ye  except  ye  abide  in  me.  I  am  the  vine ,  ye 
are  the  branches.  He  that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him , 
the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit ;  for  without  me 
ye  can  do  nothing l 

Here,  in  His  own  inimitable  way,  Jesus  teaches  al¬ 
most  to  the  eye,  the  intimacy  of  the  relation  between 
Him  and  believers,  and  the  necessity  of  it  to  them 
both  at  first  and  perpetually,  for  producing  the  fruits 
of  holy  living. 

The  same  truth  He  taught  by  another  figure,  repre¬ 
senting  Himself  as  food  and  believers  as  feeding  upon 
Him : 

My  Father  giveth  you  the  true  bread  from  heaven. 
For  the  bread  of  God  is  he  which  cometh  down  from 
heaven  and  giveth  life  unto  the  world.  .  ...  I  am  the 
bread  of  life  ;  he  that  cometh  to  me  shall  never  hunger, 


Hohn  xv.  1-5. 


200 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


and  he  that  believeth  on  me  shall  never  thirst }  This  is 
the  bread  which  cometh  down  from  heaven,  that  a  man 
may  eat  thereof  and  not  die.  I  am  the  livmg  bread 
which  came  down  from  heaven  ;  if  any  man  eat  of  this 
bread  he  shall  live  forever ;  and  the  bread  that  I  will 
give  is  my  flesh  which  I  zvill  give  for  the  life  of  the 
world.  ....  Except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  op  man 
and  drink  his  blood,  ye  have  710  life  in  yon.  Whoso  eat- 
eth  my  flesh  a?id  drinketh  my  blood  hath  eternal  life.  .  .  . 
For  my  flesh  is  meat  indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink  in - 
deed.  He  that  eatcth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood, 
dwelleth  in  me  and  I  in  him.  As  the  livmg  Father 
hath  sent  me,  and  I  live  by  the  Father,  so  he  that  eateth 
me,  even  he  shall  live  by  me.  This  is  that  bread  which 
came  dow7i  from  heaven  :  .  ...  he  that  eateth  of  this 
bread  shall  live  forever .2 

These  precious  words  of  Jesus  have  been  under¬ 
stood  by  many  as  referring  to  the  Lord’s  supper,  and 
so  have  been  made  to  support  the  doctrines  of  tran- 
substantiation  and  consubstantiation  and  also  that  of 
the  efficacy  of  the  ordinance  in  itself.  They  doubt¬ 
less  do  refer  to  the  same  truths  and  facts  that  are 
set  forth  by  the  Lord’s  supper,  namely,  the  receiving 
Jesus  by  believers  in  all  the  fulness  of  His  mediatorial 
work,  and  especially  as  an  atoning  sacrifice  ;  the  look¬ 
ing  to  Him,  the  resting  on  Him  and  the  hoping  in 
Him  for  all  spiritual  blessings,  present  and  future ; 
and,  on  His  part,  the  bestowing  on  true  believers  of 
pardon,  a  title  to  heaven,  and,  through  the  Spirit,  the 


1  John  vi.  32,  33,  35. 


2  John  vi.  50-58. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS.  20I 

graces  of  true  piety.  Thus  this  figurative  represen¬ 
tation,  used  by  Jesus,  exhibits  the  perpetual  condition 
and  experience  of  true  Christian  life.  It  conveys  also 
the  lesson  that  the  connection  with  Jesus  which  is  its 
basis  and  source,  must  be  carefully  maintained,  as 
eating  and  drinking,  though  necessary  to  life,  are 
voluntary  acts. 

The  duty  of  Christians  to  cherish  carefully  their 
close  connection  with  Jesus,  is  taught  by  Him  also  in 
the  parable  of  the  Vine  and  branches,  where  He  says  : 
Abide  in  me  and  I  in  yon.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear 
fruit  of  itself,  except  it  abide  in  the  vine ,  no  more  can 
ye  except  ye  abide  in  me }  Again  of  this  union  with 
Himself,  so  necessary  to  Christians  from  first  to  last, 
He  said  :  In  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  my 
Father,  and  ye  in  me,  and  I  in  you ?  As  thou ,  Father , 
art  in  me  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us. 
.  ...  I  in  them  and  thou  in  me,  that  they  may  be  made 
perfect  in  one  ....  that  the  love  wherewith  thou  hast 
loved  me  may  be  in  them  a7id  I  in  them? 

The  relation,  therefore,  which  is  established  be¬ 
tween  Jesus  and  believers  when  they  come  to  Him, 
is  forever  necessary  for  them,  and  is  to  be  carefully 
maintained. 

93.  JESUS  RECOGNIZES  HIS  PEOPLE’S  KNOWLEDGE  OF 
HIM,  THEIR  FAITH  IN  HIM,  AND  THEIR  LOVE  TO 
HIM,  AND  HE  INVITES  AND  CHERISHES  THEIR 
LOVE. 

Jesus  recognized  knowledge  of  Him  where  He 
found  it : 

Hohn  xv.  4.  2  John  xiv.  20.  3  John  xvii.  21,  23,  26 


202 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


I  have  given  unto  them  the  words  which  thou  gavest 
me ,  and  they  have  received  them ,  and  have  known  surely 
that  I  came  out  from  thee.  These  have  known  that  thou 
hast  sent  me}  Thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the 
wise  and  prudent  and  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes? 
Blessed  art  thou ,  Simon  Bar-jona  ;  for  flesh  and  blood 
hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  my  Father  which  is 
in  heaven?  Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you  and  yet 
hast  thou  not  known  me,  Philip  ?  He  that  hath  seen  me 
hath  seen  the  Father? 

The  silent  reasoning  is,  Thou  hast  seen  me,  and 
therefore  seen  the  Father  also. 

Jesus  recognized  the  faith  of  ITis  people. 

To  the  two  blind  men  He  said  :  Believe  ye  that  lam 
able  to  do  this?  They  said  unto  Him,  Yea,  Lord. 
Then  touched  He  their  eyes,  saying :  According  to  your 
faith  be  it  unto  you?  To  the  Syro-Phenician  woman, 
after  her  earnest  perseverance  :  0  woman ,  great  is  thy 
faith ?  Of  the  Roman  Centurion  who  said,  Speak 
the  word  only  and  my  servant  shall  be  healed,  He 
said  :  I  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no,  not  in  Israel? 
To  Peter:  I  have  prayed  for  thee  that  thy  faith  fail 
not?  He  recognized  even  their  little  faith,  though 
He  rebuked  its  littleness:  O  ye  of  little  faith?  To 
Peter,  at  the  time  He  held  him  up  from  sinking  in  the 
water :  O  thou  of  little  faith,  wherefore  didst  thou 

Hohnxvii.  8,25.  2  Mat.  xi.  25.  3  Mat.  xvi.  17. 

4  John  xiv.  9. * *  6 7  Mat.  ix.  28,  29. 

6  Mat.  xv.  28  ;  Mark  vii.  29. 

7  Mat.  viii.  10  ;  Luke  vii.  9.  8  Luke  xxii.  32. 

8  Mat.  viii.  26,  ch.  xvi.  8  and  vi.  30  ;  Luke  xii.  28. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIE  FEES.  203 


doubt?1  He  spoke  of  a  faith  even  “like  a  grain  of 
mustard-seed/’  and  of  its  virtue.2  All  this  reminds 
us  of  the  prophecy  which  the  evangelist  applies  to 
Him:  “A  bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break  and  smok¬ 
ing  flax  shall  he  not  quench ;  ”  and  of  His  own  sweet 
words  :  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart? 

He  recognized  His  people’s  love  to  Him,  and  in¬ 
vited  and  cherished  it :  The  Father  himself  loveth 
you  because  ye  have  loved  me?  If  ye  loved  me  ye  would 
rejoice  because  I  said  I  go  unto  the  Father ?  Continue 
ye  in  my  love.  If  ye  keep  my  commandments  ye  shall 
abide  in  my  love?  He  would  have  the  supreme  love  of 
His  people,  a  love  greater  than  that  for  nearest  kin¬ 
dred,  or  for  any  earthly  thing :  He  that  loveth  father  or 
mother  more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me  ;  and  he  that 
loveth  son  or  daughter  more  than  me  is  7iot  worthy  of 
me?  He  recognized  Mary’s  love  when  she  anointed 
Him  with  the  ointment:  She  hath  wrought  a  good 

work  upon  me . she  did  it  for  my  burial?  And 

so  of  her  who  washed  His  feet  with  her  tears :  She 
loved  much?  In  instituting  the  Lord’s  supper,  He 
showed  His  high  estimate  of  the  perpetual  and  tender 
love  of  His  people  in  the  words:  This  do  in  remem¬ 
brance  of  7ue?°  Most  striking  of  all,  in  some  respects, 
is  the  scene  on  the  lake  shore  after  His  resurrection : 
Simon ,  so7i  of  Jonas,  loves t  thou  me  more  tha7i  these  ? 

1  Mat.  xiv.  31.  2  Mat.  xvii.  20;  Luke  xvii.  6. 

3  Mat.  xii.  20  and  xi.  29.  4 *  John  xvi.  27.  6  John  xiv.  28. 

6  John  xv.  9,  10.  .  7  Mat.  x.  37,  38. 

8  Mat.  xxvi.  10;  Mark  xiv.  6.  u  Luke  vii.  47. 

lu  Luke  xxii.  19;  1  Cor.  xi.  24. 


204 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITA  ESS. 


Simon ,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  ?  Simon,  son  of 
Jonas,  lovest  thou  me}  Jesus,  soon  to  ascend  to 
heaven,  inquires  so  earnestly  after  a  human  love  ! 

94.  JESJS  FORGIVES  HIS  PEOPLE’S  SINS  AND  DE¬ 
LIVERS  THEM  FROM  THE  POLLUTION  AND 
POWER  OF  SIN. 

He  forgives  their  sins. 

To  the  man  sick  of  the  palsy,  who  was  let  down 
through  the  roof  before  Him,  seeing  their  faith,  He 
said  :  Son,  he  of  good  cheer,  thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee .  .  .  . 
The  Son  of  mail  hath  power  on  earth  to  forgive  si?is.z 
To  the  woman  who  washed  His  feet  with  her  tears, 
Thy  sins  are  forgiven } 

Among  the  sweetest  words,  these,  ever  uttered  on 
earth ;  as  the  blessing  they  conferred  is  among  the 
greatest ! 

“  Earth  hath  a  joy  unknown  in  Heaven 
The  new-born  joy  of  sins  forgiven.” 

Jesus  also  delivers  His  people  from  the  pollution 
and  power  of  sin. 

To  Peter,  who  refused  to  let  Him  wash  his  feet :  If 

I  wash  thee  not  thou  hast  no  part  with  me . He 

that  is  washed ,  needeth  not  save  to  wash  his  feet,  but  is 
clean  every  whit :  and  ye  are  clean ,  but  not  all.  For 
He  knew  who  should  betray  Him  ;  therefore  said  He  : 

1  John  xxi.  15,  16,  1 7. 

2  Mat.  ix.  2,  6  ;  Mark  ii.  5  ;  Luke  v.  20.  3  Luke  vii.  48. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  RELIEFERS.  205 


Ye  are  not  all  clean}  Now  ye  are  clean  through  the 
word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you} 

So  careful  and  watchful  of  His  people  is  Jesus! 
graciously  as  well  as  powerfully  removing  whatever 
would  be  injurious  to  them  and  offensive  to  Him  in 
the  close  relationship  subsisting  between  them. 

Our  next  theme  has  been  essentially  anticipated, 
but  deserves  a  distinct  place. 

95.  JESUS  LOVES  HIS  PEOPLE. 

Henceforth  I  call  you  not  servants ;  for  the  servant 
knoweth  not  what  his  Lord  doeth  ;  but  I  have  called  you 
friends  ;  for  all  things  that  I  have  heard  of  my  Father 
I  have  made  known  unto  you }  Ye  are  my  friends  if 
ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you}  His  death  is  the 
demonstration  of  His  love  :  Greater  love  hath  no  man 
than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends } 

“John  xiii.  8,  10,  11.  “Is  washed,”  in  verse  10,  6  lelov/xEvos, 
the  one  that  has  been  washed  or  bathed  all  over.  “  Wash,”  in 
verses  8  and  10,  vlrpu,  vtipaodai,  from  v'lttto,  to  wash  the  hands  or 
feet,  part  of  the  body.  Under  the  first  of  these  words  (XeXov/uevog) 
Jesus  evidently  meant  to  express  regeneration  or  the  new-birth, 
which  He  performs  at  first  upon  a  believer  :  by  the  latter  ( [vtipaodai ) 
that  occasional  cleansing  which  He  performs  on  His  people,  puri¬ 
fying  them  from  the  pollutions  which  they  contract  in  their  daily 
life.  Jesus  mingled  the  lower  and  the  higher  meanings  of  the 
words,  uniting  their  mechanical  and  spiritual  applications. 

aJohn  xv.  3;  “clean,”  Greek,  mdagol. 

J John  xv.  15;  “Friends,”  Greek,  <pt?.ovg,  friends,  that  is,  not 
actively,  but  passively — not  as  loving,  but  as  loved,  as  is  evident 
from  the  connection. 

“Verse  14.  6  Verse  13. 


2c6 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


The  intimation  is,  This  I  am  about  to  do  for  you.  I 
am  the  Good  Shepherd :  the  good  shepherd  giveih  his  life 
for  the  sheep}  Love  one  another  as  I  have  loved  you. 
As  the  Father  hath  loved  me  so  have  I  loved  you }  He 
that  loveth  me  shall  be  loved  of  my  Father,  and  I  will 
love  him}  I  will  make  them  (the  enemies  of  the 
Church)  to  come  and  zv  or  ship  at  thy  feet ,  and  to  know 
that  I  have  loved  thee }  His  high-priestly  prayer 

breathes  throughout  the  spirit  of  love  to  His  disciples, 
and  to  all  believers ;  which  rises  in  intensity  of  ex¬ 
pression  to  the  end  :  I  pray  for  them  :  I  pray  not  for 
the  world ;  but  for  them  which  thou  hast  given  me,  for 
they  are  thine.  And  all  mine  are  thine,  and  thine  are 
mine.  Holy  Father !  keep  through  thi?ie  own  name 
those  whom  thou  hast  given  me.  Father,  I  zvill  that 
they  also  whom  thou  hast  given  me  be  with  me  where  1 
am.  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also 
which  shall  believe  on  me  through  their  word } 

What  pathos  of  Divine  Love !  Well  does  Paul 
speak  of  “  the  breadth,  and  length,  and  depth, .and 
height  ”  of  the  Love  of  Christ.7 

96.  JESUS  MANIFESTS  HIMSELF  TO  HIS  PEOPLE  AND 


DWELLS  WITH  THEM. 


This  theme,  too,  has  been  somewhat  anticipated  in 
the  fact  of  the  Union  subsisting  between  Jesus  and 
His  people,  yet  it  says  something  more,  declares  a 
Presence  and  Communion  as  of  friend  with  fiiend: 


*John  x.  II.  2  John  xiii.  34. 

4  John  xiv.  21.  6  Rev.  iii.  9. 

7  Eph.  iii.  18,  19. 


3  John  xv.  9. 

John  xvii.  9,  10,  ii,  20,  24. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS.  20J 

I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless :  I  will  come  to  you } 
I  will  see  you  again  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice }  The 
world  seeth  me  no  more,  but  ye  see  me}  He  that  lovetli 
me  shall  be  loved  of  my  Father ,  and  I  will  love  him  and 
will  manifest  myself  to  him .* 4 * 

Judas  said  unto  Him  (not  Iscariot),  Lord,  how  is  it 
that  thou  wilt  manifest  thyself  unto  us  and  not  unto 
the  world?  Jesus  answered  him:  If  a  ma?i  love  me 
he  will  keep  my  words ,  and  my  Father  will  love  him , 
and  we  will  come  unto  him  a?id  make  our  abode  with 
him }  The  question  and  the  answer  bring  out  clearly 
the  meaning  of  Jesus.  He  meant  not  an  outward 
manifestation,  visible  to  the  eyes  of  all  men,  but  a 
coming  and  a  manifestation  perceived  by  the  indi¬ 
vidual  Christian,  the  experience  of  which  would  be 
very  delightful  and  strengthening.  A  like  meaning 
He  had  when  He  said :  The  world  seeth  me  no  more , 
but  ye  see  me}  Lo ,  I  am  with  you  alway? 

9 7.  JESUS  UNDERSTANDS  WELL  THAT  HIS  PRESENCE 
IS  JOYFUL  TO  HIS  PEOPLE  AND  HIS  ABSENCE 
PAINFUL. 

Defending  His  disciples  when  the  Pharisees  ob¬ 
jected  that  they  did  not  fast,  Jesus  said:  Can  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  the  bridechamber  fast  while  the  bridegroom  is 
with  them  ?  But  the  days  will  come  when  the  bride¬ 
groom  shall  be  taken  away  from  them ,  and  then  shall 
they  fast ,  in  those  days.3  He  is  the  Bridegroom.  In 

Hohn  xiv.  18.  2  John  xvi.  22.  “John  xiv.  19. 

4  John  xiv.  21.  6  John  xiv.  22,  23.  6  Verse  19. 

7Mat. xxviii.  20.  “Mark  ii.  19,  20;  Mat.  ix.  15  ;  Luke  v.  34. 


208 


CHRIST  HIS  0 IV AT  WITHE SS. 


view  of  His  death  and  consequent  separation  from 
His  disciples,  He  said  :  Ye  now  therefore  have  sorrow ; 
but  I  will  see  you  again  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice ? 

“  Then  were  the  disciples  glad  when  they  saw  the 
Lord.”11 

98.  JESUS  LOVES  TO  PROMOTE  HIS  PEOPLE’S  JOY  IN 

HIM,  AND  TO  MAKE  IT  FULL. 

These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you  that  in  me  ye 
might  have  peace?  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you 
that  my  joy  might  remain  in  you  and  that  your  joy 
might  be  full ?  A  sk  and  ye  shall  receive ,  that  your  joy 
may  be  full?  These  things  I  speak  in  the  world  that 
they  might  have  my  joy  fulfilled  in  themselves ? 

This  is  the  thoughtfulness  of  love  ! 

99.  JESUS  COUNTS  HIS  PEOPLE  HIS  NEAREST  KIN¬ 

DRED. 

He  called  them  brethren,  and  so,  children  of  a 
common  Father.  Go  tell  my  brethren ?  Go  tell  my 
brethren  and  say  unto  them  that  I  ascend  unto  my 
Father  and  your  Father ,  and  to  my  God  and  your  God? 
So  He  puts  them  by  Himself  in  His  Father’s  house¬ 
hold,  and  shares  its  privileges  with  them,  as  the 
Psalmist,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  makes  Him  say:  I  will 
declare  thy  name  unto  my  brethren,  in  the  midst  of  the 
church  will  I  sing  praise  unto  thee?  Some  one  told 

'John  xvi.  22.  2  John  xx.  20.  3  John  xvi.  33. 

4  John  xv.  II.  5J°tm  xvi.  24.  6 7  John  xvii.  13. 

7  Mat.  xxviii.  10.  8  John  xx.  17.  0  Ps.  xxii.  22  ;  Heb.  ii.  12. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  RELIEFERS.  20g 

Him  that  His  mother  and  His  brethren  were  stand¬ 
ing  outside  the  crowd  and  desiring  to  speak  with 
Him.  But  He  answered  and  said  to  him  that  told 
him  :  Who  is  my  mother  ?  and  who  are  my  brethren  ? 
And  He  stretched  forth  His  hand  toward  His  disci¬ 
ples,  and  said  :  Behold  my  mother  and  my  brethren  ! 
For  whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is 
in  heaven,  the  same  is  my  brother  and  sister  and 
mother ? 

These  expressions  of  transcendent  love  for  His 
people  are  entirely  in  keeping  with  His  dying  for 
them,  as  that  is  with  these  :  anything  less,  though 
beyond  our  anticipations,  would  have  been  inade¬ 
quate.  The  perfect  mutual  consistency  of  Jesus’  say¬ 
ings  and  doings  is  admirable.  He  who  bestows  such 
love  has  also  a  right  to  demand  love  in  return  in  high 
measure. 

100.  JESUS  DOES  THE  LOWEST  OFFICES  OF  LOVE  FOR 

HIS  PEOPLE. 

Whether  is  greater,  he  that  sitteth  at  meat ,  or  he  that 
serveth  ?  But  I  am  among  you  as  he  that  serveth ?  The 
Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto ,  but  to  min¬ 
ister?  Knozv  ye  what  I  have  done  to  you . If  1 

your  Lord  and  Master  have  washed  your  feet ,  ye  also 
ought  to  wash  one  another  s  feet.  For  I  have  given  you 
an  example  that  ye  should  do  as  I  have  done  to  you? 


1  Mat.  xii.  47-50  ;  Mark  iii.  34,  35. 
3  Mat.  xx.  28  ;  Mark  x.  45. 


2  Luke  xxii.  27. 
4  John  xiii.  12,  14,  1 5. 


210 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


101.  JESUS  REGARDS  WHAT  IS  DONE  TO  HIS  PEOPLE 
AS  DONE  TO  HIMSELF. 

When  He  sent  out  His  disciples  to  preach,  predict¬ 
ing  the  various  treatment  they  should  receive,  He 

said  :  He  that  receiveth  you  receiveth  me . And 

whosoever  shall  give  to  drink  unto  one  of  these  little 
ones  a  cup  of  cold  ivatcr  only  in  the  name  of  a  disciple — 
because  ye  belong  to  Christ — verily  I  say  unto  you,  he 
shall  in  no  wise  lose  his  reward}  Teaching  in  His 
own  way,  He  took  a  child  and  set  him  in  the  midst 
of  the  disciples  and  said  :  Whoso  shall  receive  one  such 
little  child  in  my  name  receiveth  me? 

The  strongest  expression  of  this  kind  is  that  con¬ 
tained  in  His  prediction  of  the  last  judgment.  He 
declared  that  He,  the  Judge,  looking  back  over  the 
lives  of  all  the  righteous,  and  recalling  all  their  acts 
of  charity,  will  say  to  them  :  I  was  an  hungered  a?id 
ye  gave  me  meat ;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink  J 
I  was  a  stranger  and  ye  took  me  in  ;  I  was  sick  and  ye 

visited  me  ;  I  was  in  prison  and  ye  came  unto  me . 

Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my 
brethren,  ye  did  it  untome.  To  the  wicked  He  will 
say  :  hiasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  unto  one  of  the  least  of 
these,  ye  did  it  not  to  me?  In  keeping  with  this  are 
tne  words  that  Saul  the  persecutor  heard  on  the  way 
to  Damascus  :  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me  ? 


*Mat.  x.  40-42  ;  Mark  ix.  41. 

2  Mat.  xviii.  5  ;  Mark  ix.  37  ;  Luke  ix.  48. 

3  Mat.  xxv.  35,  36,  40,  45. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS.  2II 


. I  am  Jesus  whom  thou  persecutest :  though 

Jesus  himself  was  then  glorified  in  Heaven. 

Love  can  no  further  go  than  this  !  To  identify 
another  with  one’s  self  thus,  is  certainly  that  love 
which  fulfills  the  law,  Thou  shalt  ^ove  thy  neighbor 
as  thyself.  It  can  be  made  more  signal  only  when 
exercised,  as  in  this  case,  by  the  highest  toward  the 
lowest.  This  climax  of  love  is  limited,  of  necessity, 
to  Him  who  “  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal 
with  God.”  1 

102.  JESUS  AUTHORIZED  HIS  PEOPLE  TO  PRAY  IN  HIS 

NAME. 

Jesus  had  not  yet,  it  seems,  exhausted  the  wise 
measures  of  His  love  for  His  people’s  joy  and  benefit. 

Hitherto  have  ye  asked  nothing  in  my  name ;  ask 
and  ye  shat l  receive ,  that  your  joy  may  be  full ?  Ye  have 
not  chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen  you  and  ordained  you 
that  ye  should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit ,  arid  that  your 
fruit  should  remain ,  that  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the 
Father  in  my  name,  he  may  give  it  you?  And  what¬ 
soever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name  that  zvill  I  do?  What¬ 
soever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name  he  will  give 
it  you ? 

The  privilege  which  Jesus  here  confers  on  believers, 
of  praying  in  His  name,  is  of  unspeakable  worth. 
Remember,  He  is  the  Son  of  God,  the  only-begotten,6 
the  beloved  Son,  in  whom  the  Father  is  well- 


1  Phil.  ii.  6.  2  John  xvi.  24.  3  John  xv.  16, 

“John  xiv.  13.  5 John  xvi.  23.  GJ°lvi  i*  *8. 


212 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


pleased,1  whom  the  Father  heareth  always,2  who,  as 
High  Priest  for  men,  bears  in  His  hands  before  the 
throne  an  offering  well-pleasing  to  God,3  who  is  at  the 
right  hand  of  God,4  administering  the  world  and  the 
Church  according  to  God’s  purpose  and  grace.  His 
name,  then,  is  “  above  every  name,”  with  God  as  with 
all  creatures.  He  has  power  with  God.  To  be  au¬ 
thorized  by  Jesus  to  present  our  prayers  to  God  in  His 
name,  is  to  have  them  always  heard,  always  accepted, 
and,  as  far  as  is  wise  and  good,  answered.  Such  honor 
have  all  His  saints  ! 

103.  JESUS  INTERCEDES  WITH  THE  FATHER  FOR  HIS 

PEOPLE. 

I  say  not  that  I  will  pray  the  Father  for  yon  ;  for 
the  Father  himself  loveth  you.5  By  this  form  of  speech, 
Jesus  intimated  that  it  would  be  almost  unnecessary 
for  Him  to  intercede,  because  of  the  Father’s  love  to 
them  and  consequent  readiness  to  answer  them.  As 
if  the  Father,  through  love,  would  anticipate  the  in¬ 
tercessions  of  the  Son  ! 

Jesus  interceded  for  Peter:  I  have  prayed  for  thee 
that  thy  faith  fail  not .6  He  prayed  for  the  bestow- 
ment  of  the  Spirit:  I  will  pray  the  Father  and  he  shall 
give  you  another  Comforter .7  That  last  prayer  in  the 
upper  room  is  called  his  high-priestly  prayer  because 
much  of  it  is  intercession  for  the  disciples  and  for  all 

1  Mat.  iii.  17.  2  John  xi.  42.  3  Heb.  ix.  12. 

4  Rom.  viii.  34.  6  John  xvi.  26,  27.  6  Luke  xxii.  32. 

7  John  xiv.  16. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS.  213 


believers.  How  mightily  He  interceded,  forgetting 
Himself  and  the  sufferings  and  death  which  He  knew 
were  immediately  before  Him  :  I  pray  for  them  ;  I  pray 
not  for  the  world ,  lut  for  them  which  thou  hast  given  me  ; 

for  they  are  thine . Holy  Father ,  keep  through  thine 

own  name  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me ,  that  they 

may  be  one  as  we  are . I  pray  ?iot  that  thou 

shouldst  take  them  out  of  the  world ,  but  that  thou 
shouldst  keep  them  from  the  evil.  ....  Neither  pray 
I  for  these  alone ,  but  for  them  also  which  shall  believe 
on  me  through  their  word.  That  they  all  may  be  one , 
as  thou ,  Father,  art  in  me  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also 

may  be  one  in  us . Father,  I  will  that  they  also 

whom  thou  hast  given  me  be  with  me  where  I  am  that 
they  may  behold  my  glory  which  thou  hast  given  me) 

Let  us  remember,  then,  that  we  have  “  a  great  High 
Priest  that  is  passed  into  the  heavens,  Jesus  the  Son 
of  God.”2  He  is  at  the  right  hand  of  God  and  also 
intercedeth  for  us.3 

“  The  names  of  all  His  saints  He  bears, 

Deep  graven  on  His  heart ; 

Nor  shall  the  least  believer  say 
That  he  hath  lost  his  part.” 

104.  JESUS  HIMSELF  ANSWERS  THE  PRAYERS  OF  HIS 

PEOPLE. 

Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name  that  will  I  do. 
.  .  .  .  If  ye  shall  ask  anythmg  in  my  name  I  will  do  it} 

In  these  words  Jesus  assumes  a  still  higher  tone, 

1  John  xvii  9,  1 1,  15,  20,  21. 

3  Heb.  vii.  25  ;  viii.  1. 


2  Heb.  iv.  14. 

4  John  xiv.  13,  14. 


4 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


2  14 


one  of  sovereign  authority  and  power.  We  do  not 
go  too  far  in  saying  that  He  also  claims  in  them 
silently  the  attribute  of  Omniscience.  He  knows  when 
His  people  pray  and  what  they  pray  for,  how  many 
soever  there  be  of  them — knows  the  situation  in  each 
case,  and  what  it  is  right  and  best  to  do  in  regard  to 
the  prayer.  And  He  attends  to  all  under  the  movings 
of  a  love  to  which  no  want  or  interest  of  theirs  is 
little.  We  are  not  surprised,  therefore,  when  we 
learn  further  from  Him  that  He  will  watch  over,  com¬ 
fort,  protect,  help,  bless,  and  preserve  His  people  to 
the  end. 


105.  JESUS  WATCHES  OVER,  COMFORTS,  PROTECTS, 
HELPS,  BLESSES,  AND  PRESERVES  HIS  PEOPLE  TO 
THE  END. 

When  His  disciples  were  in  peril  in  the  boat  and 
cried  out  for  fear,  He  was  near  them  walking  on  the 
water,  and  spoke  at  once  :  It  is  I ;  be  not  afraid} 
When  Jairus  was  about  to  be  discouraged,  hearing 
that  his  daughter  was  dead,  Jesus,  though  crowded 
by  the  multitude  and  engaged  with  the  poor  woman 
who  had  touched  the  hem  of  His  garment,  said  to 
him:  Be  not  afraid:  07ily  believe }  Remember  His 
words  to  Peter,  in  view  of  his  temptation  :  I  have 
prayed  for  thee }  To  His  disciples  sad  and  fearful: 
Peace  I  leave  with  yon  ;  my  peace  I  give  unto  you  :  not 
as  the  world  giveth  give  I  unto  you.  Let  not  your  heart 
be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid}  In  the  world  ye 


1  Mat.  xiv.  27  ;  Mark  vi.  50. 
3  Luke  xxii.  32. 


2  Mark  v.  36  ;  Luke  viii.  50. 
4  John  xiv.  27. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS.  2  1 5 

shall  have  tribulation  ;  but  be  of  good  cheer ,  I  have 
overcome  the  world}  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled ; 
ye  believe  in  God :  believe  also  in  me}  While  I  was 
with  them  in  the  zvorld  I  kept  them  in  thy  name?  1 
will  not  leave  you  comfortless  :  I  will  come  to  you ?  Lo, 
/  am  with  you  alway ,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world? 
I  will  pray  the  Father  and  he  shall  give  you  another 
Comforter  that  he  may  abide  with  you  forever?  A?id 
this  is  the  Father  s  will  which  hath  sent  me,  that  of  all 
which  he  hath  given  me  I  should  lose  nothing,  but  should 
raise  it  up  again  at  the  last  day ?  Of  them  which  thou 
gavest  me  have  I  lost  none.  Those  that  thou  gavest  me 
I  have  kept ?  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life ,  and  they 
shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any  man  pluck  them  out 
of  my  hand? 

These  words  of  Jesus  reveal  Him  in  the  actual 
exercise  of  His  loving,  watchful  care  over  individual 
believers.  He  sees  them  in  their  exigencies  as  He 
did  Jairus,  and  as  He  did  the  disciples  in  the  boat. 
He  holds  them  in  His  strong  hand  safe  from  their 
enemies.  He  “kept  them  ”  while  Himself  was  on  the 
earth,  and  in  His  absence  He  has  “  another  Para- 
cletos  ”  acting  in  His  place,  the  Divine  Spirit. 
Through  the  Spirit  He  is  “  present  with  them  ”  so 
that  they  are  not  “  orphans.”  Pie  will  be  thus  pres¬ 
ent  with  them  “  to  the  end  of  the  world,”  and  will 

1  John  xvi.  33.  2  J°hn  xiv.  1.  3  John  xvii.  12. 

4  John  xiv.  18.  5  Mat.  xxviii.  20. 

6  John  xiv.  16.  See,  also,  v.  26,  ch.  xv.  ;  xvi.  7,  13. 

7  John  vi.  39.  8  John  xvii.  12  ;  xviii.  9. 

9  John  x.  28. 


21 6 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


then  “  raise  them  up  ”  to  be  “  with  him,”  and  “  to  in¬ 
herit  everlasting  life.”  1 

Illustrations  of  this  care  for  His  people  still  exer¬ 
cised  by  Jesus,  we  have  more  than  once  in  the  history 
of  the  Apostles.  When  Paul  had  been  rejected  by 
the  Jews  at  Corinth,  the  Lord  spoke  to  him  in  the 
night  by  a  vision :  Be  not  afraid ,  but  speak  and  hold 
not  thy  peace  :  for  I  am  with  thee ,  a?id  no  man  shall 
set  on  thee  to  hurt  thee  ;  for  I  have  much  people  in  this 
city.*  And  when  again  Paul  was  distressed  by  the 
“  messenger  of  Satan  ”  sent  to  “  buffet  ”  him,  he  re¬ 
ceived  from  the  Lord  this  direct  answer :  My  grace  is 
sufficient  for  thee ;  for  my  strength  is  made  perfect  in 
weakness .3 

And  now,  recalling  for  a  moment  the  various  items 
which  have  come  before  our  view  in  this  chapter, 
on  the  Relations  of  Jesus  to  Believers  individually, 
and  His  declarations  under  each,  let  us  notice  that 
they  are  all  true  now.  As  the  two  last  illustrations 
show,  these  are  the  feelings  which  He  now  cherishes  ; 
this  is  the  care  which  he  now  exercises ;  these  the 
wisdom  and  the  power  and  the  Providence ;  these  the 
measures  which  He  is  now  employing  for  those  who 
are  His.  Observe  too  that  these  assurances,  so 
varied,  so  rich,  implying  so  much  authority  and 
power,  are  in  perfect  keeping  with  His  teachings  else¬ 
where  as  to  His  Presence,  Power,  and  Sovereignty  in 
the  world.4  They  do  not  stand  alone.  We  are 


1  See  §  73. 

3  2  Cor.  xii.  9. 


2  Acts  xviii.  9,  10. 

4  See  sections  49-52. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  WITH  BELIEVERS.  2I/ 

not  obliged  to  infer  only  that  He  who  said  such 
things  of  Himself,  is  able  to  make  them  good :  we 
see  that  when  not  speaking  directly  of  these  things 
He  claimed  all  the  Attributes  which  are  necessary  to 
the  carrying  out  of  them  all. 

But  rich  and  overflowing  as  are  the  things  already 
said,  “  these  are  (only)  parts  of  his  ways:”  *‘Thou 
shalt  see  greater  things  than  these.” 

io 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH. 

IO 6.  JESUS  HAS  UNITED  HIS  PEOPLE  INTO  ONE  BODY, 

THE  CHURCH. 

In  what  has  been  presented  it  is  shown  that  Jesus 
has  made  all  the  provisions  possible  for  His  people  as 
individuals ;  but  He  can  do  more  for  them  united 
together.  This  fact  is  based  on  man’s  constitution  as 
a  social  being,  susceptible  to  social  influences,  and 
also  on  the  general  necessity  and  benefit  of  order  and 
submission  to  rule  among  all  creatures.  System 
appears  everywhere  in  God’s  works,  in  the  earth  and 
in  the  heavens.  He  has  also  put  into  man  the  in¬ 
stinct  of  order,  and  led  him  to  seek  and  establish  it 
in  the  family  and  in  society.  Jesus  has  not  neglected 
organization  in  His  great  work  of  saving  men.  His 
people  are  not  a  multitude  of  individuals,  each  work¬ 
ing  his  way  by  himself,  each  cared  for  and  carried  on¬ 
ward  separately  to  the  mark  for  the  prize.  He  has 
united  them  into  a  Society  which  He  calls  TPIE 
Church. 

On  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church}  I  am  the 

J  Mat.  xvi.  1 8.  “  My  church,”  Greek,  fiov  rrjv  EKKlrjaiav.  ’E xk?i7j- 
via,  assemby,  (from  ekko.?^u,  to  call  out),  an  assembly  gathered 
for  some  common  purpose,  especially  to  transact  some  public 
(218) 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  219 


Good  Shepherd /  the  Good  Shepherd  giveth  his  life  for 

the  sheep . And  other  sheep  I  have  which  are  not 

of  this  fold ;  them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall 
hear  my  voice,  and  there  shall  be  one  fold  and  one  shep¬ 
herd. 1  Again :  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone  (the 
twelve,  or  rather  the  eleven — Judas  was  gone),* 2 3  but 
for  them  also  which  shall  believe  on  me  through  their 
word.  That  they  all  may  be  one  ;  as  thou,  Father,  art  in 
me  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us.  I 
in  them,  and  thou  in  me,  that  they  may  be  made  perfect 
i?i  one? 

The  “oneness”  intended  in  the  last  of  these  texts 
may  be  simply  the  unity  of  spirit  which  Jesus  inculca¬ 
ted  upon  His  people.  But  when  the  words  are  read  in 
connection  with  the  other  texts,  it  would  seem  that 
Jesus  extended  the  thought  here  too,  as  evidently  He 
did  in  them,  to  embrace  the  idea  of  organic  unity.  But 
if  the  oneness  here  spoken  of  is  that  of  the  spirit  only, 
it  is  the  necessary  basis  of  the  real  and  happy  union 
of  believers  into  one  body  contemplated  in  the  other 
passages. 

In  the  saying,  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world?  it 
is  again  necessary  to  conceive  of  Jesus’  followers  as 
an  organized  whole,  in  which  there  is  unity,  order, 
authority,  and  subordination. 


business.  This  is  the  ordinary  word  in  Greek  for  the  assemblies 
of  the  people  so  common  in  the  Grecian  republics.  The  name, 
both  in  its  signification  and  use,  is  decidedly  democratic. 

1  John  x.  11,  16.  2  John  xiii.  30. 

3  John  xvii.  20,  21,  23.  4  John  xviii.  36. 


220 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


I07.  JESUS  IS  HIMSELF  THE  FOUNDATION  OF  THE 

CHURCH. 

After  giving  the  parable  of  the  wicked  husband¬ 
men  who  killed  the  son  and  heir  of  the  owner  of  the 
vineyard,  meaning  by  that  son  and  heir  Himself,  He 
said  :  Did  ye  never  read  in  the  Scriptures ,  The  stone 
which  the  builders  rejected  the  same  is  become  the  head 
of  the  corner  ? 1  Jesus  applied  thus  this  Old  Testament 
Scripture  to  Himself.  He  was  the  “  Stone  ”  rejected 
by  the  (Jewish)  builders,  but  made  of  God  to  be  the 
“  head  of  the  corner.” 1  2 

When,  replying  to  a  question  of  Jesus,  Peter  said, 
Thou  art  the  Christ  the  Son  of  the-living  God,  Jesus 
answered  him  :  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-jona  ;  for 
flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee ,  but  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven.  A  nd  I  say  also  unto  thee , 
that  thou  art  Peter ,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my 
Church ,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against 
it.  And  I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth  shall 
be  bound  in  heaven ,  and  zvhat  soever  thou  shalt  loose  on 
earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven? 

Our  concern  is  to  know  the  mind  of  Christ  as  ex¬ 
pressed  in  these  words  ;  and  particularly  into  what 
special  relation  to  the  Church,  if  any,  He  brought 
Peter  by  this  utterance.  The  interpretation  of  the 

1  Mat.  xxi.  42;  Mark  xii.  10;  Luke  xx.  17.  Greek,  /ceQaby 
yuviag  =  uKgoyuviatov  (i  Pet.  ii.  6),  chief  corner-stone,  /.  e.,  of  the 
foundation,  the  defiebov  (i  Cor.  i ii.  ii). 

2Ps.  cxviii.  22  ;  i  Pet.  ii.  7.  aMat.  xvi.  17-19. 


RELATION'S  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  22I 


whole  depends  on  the  settlement  of  the  question, 
what  party  is  intended  in  the  words  “  upon  this 
rock,”  whether  Jesus  himself,  or  Peter.  Many,  from 
ancient  times,  applying  them  to  Peter,  and  bringing 
other  Scriptures  into  connection  with  this  one,  have 
deduced  the  doctrine  of  the  Headship  over  the 
Church  of  Peter,  and  of  his  alleged  successors,  the 
Bishops  of  Rome. 

In  favor  of  the  reference  of  the  words  to  Peter  is 
the  fact  that  the  preceding  verse  (the  17th)  and  also 
the  following  verse  (the  19th)  certainly  refer  to  him. 
And  in  the  very  verse  where  the  expression  in  ques¬ 
tion  occurs  (the  18th),  there  is  a  reference  to  Peter  by 
name:  I  say  unto  thee,  That  thou  art  Peter  (ZJerpoc), 
and  upon  this  rock  (rrerga)  I  will  build  my  church.  Then, 
too,  the  next  verse  begins  naturally  with  an  And  : 
And  I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys,  etc. 

Let  us  survey  the  whole  ground  ;  for  we  can  not 
otherwise  arrive  at  a  safe  conclusion. 

Other  circumstances  favoring  the  reference  of  the 
words,  “  This  rock,”  to  Peter  are  these  :  In  the  lists  of 
names  of  Apostles,  that  of  Peter  is  always  mentioned 
first.1  He  also  usually  acted  as  spokesman  for  the  twelve, 
as  in  the  very  case  before  us  ;  or  at  least  usually  spoke 
first.2  He  was  the  chief  speaker  on  the  day  of  Pente¬ 
cost,  and  on  other  occasions  at  Jerusalem.3  He  was 
thus  the  chief  founder  of  the  Church  there,  and  being 


1  Mat.  x.  2-4;  Mark  iii.  16-19  '>  Luke  vi.  13-16  ;  Acts  i.  13. 

2  See  Mat.  xvi.  22  ;  Mat.  xiv.  28  ;  xxvi.  33. 

3  Acts  ii.  14;  iii.  4,  12  ;  iv.  8. 


222 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


sent  to  Cornelius,  he  first  preached  the  Gospel  to  the 
Gentiles,  and  so  was  the  founder  of  the  Gentile 
Church.1  After  the  resurrection  Jesus  commanded 
Peter  especially  to  feed  His  sheep  and  lambs.2  Nay, 
even  when  predicting  Peter’s  fall,  after  assuring  him 
of  His  own  successful  intercession  in  his  behalf,  Jesus 
added  :  And  when  thou  art  converted,  strengthen  thy 
brethren  ;  as  if  giving  him  some  special  pastoral  care 
over  the  rest.3 4 

Let  us  now  endeavor  to  decide  how  much  authority 
Jesus  gave  to  Peter  by  these  words,  supposing  them 
all  to  refer  to  him.  To  this  end  we  must  carefully 
note  what  authority  in  the  Church  He  has  given  to 
other  parties.  We  revert  first  to  the  fact  that  when 
about  to  leave  the  world,  He  promised  to  send  the 
Holy  Spirit  as  another  Paracletos,  that  is,  Defender 
or  Head,  in  His  own  place.'1  The  Spirit  is,  therefore, 
from  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  acting  Head  of  the 
Church  on  earth,  Vicegerent  for  its  Great  Head  who 
is  Himself  in  heaven,  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  God.5 
Neither  Jesus  himself,  nor  the  Spirit,  nor  those  in¬ 
spired  by  the  Spirit  have  spoken  of  any  substitute  or 
deputy  acting  in  the  Spirit’s  place;  nor,  He  being 
always  present,  could  there  be  such  a  substitute. 

We  note  next  the  fact  that  Jesus  appointed  twelve 
Apostles,  of  whom  Peter  was  one.  He  is  always 
counted  as  one  of  them.  They  were  all  appointed  at 
once  and  alike,  and  for  the  same  work,  namely,  to 


1  Acts  x.  48.  2  John  xxi.  15,  16,  17. 

4  John  xiv.  16,  26,  etc.  See  §  73. 


3  Luke  xxii.  32. 
5  Mirk  xvi.  19. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  223 

perform  miracles  of  healing,  and  to  preach  to  the  Jews 
of  Palestine  first,1  and  then  to  the  whole  world,2  the 
Gospel  of  the  kingdom.3  They  all  obeyed  the  order. 
They  went  forth  and  preached  everywhere,  the  Lord 
working  with  them,  and  confirming  the  Word  with 
signs  following.4  This  is  said  of  them  all  alike,  noth¬ 
ing  special  being  said  of  Peter  in  relation  to  the  work. 

After  the  resurrection,  Jesus  standing  in  the  midst 
of  the  disciples,  breathed  on  them,  and  said  to  them  : 
Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost .  Whosesoever  sins  ye  remit 
they  are  remitted  unto  them  ;  and  whosesoever  sins  ye 
retain  they  are  retained?  Here  is  an  important  au¬ 
thority  conferred  upon  the  whole  College  of  Apostles ; 
and  while  there  are,  and  will  be,  differing  views  re¬ 
garding  the  nature  and  extent  of  that  authority, 
every  one  must  concede  the  importance  of  it  as  relat¬ 
ing  to  the  forgiveness  and  non-forgiveness  of  sins. 
Jesus  seems  by  these  words  to  have  empowered  the 
Apostles,  by  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  announce 
to  the  world  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  to  declare 
especially  the  terms  on  which  sins  are  forgiven,  to 
establish  principles  of  church  discipline  in  accordance 
with  those  terms,  and  to  embody  the  whole  in  writ¬ 
ings  which  should  be  the  standards  of  the  Church’s 
faith  and  practice  for  all  time.  This  important  au¬ 
thority  He  gave  to  all  of  the  Apostles  alike.  They 
accordingly  preached  the  Gospel  and  administered 


1  Mat.  x.  6  7,  23.  2  Mat.  xxviii.  19;  Mark  xvi.  15. 

3  Mat.  x.  7,  8.  4  Mark  xvi.  20. 

6  John  xx.  19-23.  Compare  Mat.  xviii.  18. 


224 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


the  Church  while  they  lived,  and  some  of  them, 
moved  thereto  by  the  Spirit,  wrote  the  Scriptures  of 
the  New  Testament. 

Next :  Did  Jesus  on  any  other  occasion  teach  any¬ 
thing  in  regard  to  a  difference  of  authority  among  the 
Apostles  ? 

John  was  “  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,”  and  who 
lay  on  His  breast  at  the  last  supper,  with  opportunity 
to  speak  privately  to  Him.1  We  might  infer  that, 
perhaps,  John  held  a  higher  place  than  the  rest.  But 
we  have  express  evidence  to  the  contrary.  When 
James  and  John  asked  that  they  might  have  a  rank 
above  all  others  in  His  kingdom,  Jesus  rejected  the 
petition,2  and  immediately  went  on  to  teach  that 
among  His  disciples  there  should  be  no  one  exercis¬ 
ing  lordship  over  the  rest.  He  then  proceeded  to  lay 
down  the  principle  on  which  superior  rank  is  deter¬ 
mined  in  His  kingdom:  He  is  the  highest  who  stoops 
lowest  in  humility  and  thereby  does  most  for  others’ 
good  :  Whosoever  will  be  great  among  yo2i  let  him  be 
your  minister  ;  And  whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you 
let  him  be  your  servant.  His  own  rank  in  the  king¬ 
dom  was  fixed  in  accordance  with  this  principle :  Even 
as  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to 
minister ,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many?  In 
consistency  with  these  teachings,  when  He  sent  out 
His  disciples  to  preach,  and  especially  in  His  parting 
discourse,  which  is  given  at  length,  there  is  not  a 

1  John  xiii.  23-25.  2  Mat.  xx.  20-23  J  Mark  x.  35-40. 

3  Mat.  xx  25-28  ;  Mark  x.  42-45. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH .  225 

word  directing  them  to  obey  the  orders  of  any  one. 
H  e  even  forbids  both  the  giving  and  the  receiving  of 
honorary  titles  by  His  followers  :  Be  not  ye  called 
Rabbi :  for  one  is  your  Master,  even  Christ ;  and  all  ye 
are  brethren.  A  nd  call  no  man  your  father  upon  the 
earth  ;  for  one  is  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven } 

Next :  Is  there  any  evidence  in  the  New  Testament 
history,  after  the  Ascension  of  Christ,  of  a  superior 
rank  and  authority  held  by  one  or  more  of  the  Apos¬ 
tles  above  the  rest  ?  Some  of  them  are  more  promi¬ 
nent  than  others :  of  the  most  of  them,  indeed, 
nothing  is  said.  Peter  is  among  the  prominent  ;  but 
prominency  is  not  authority.  After  the  conversion 
of  Cornelius,  which  occurred  early,  Peter  almost  dis¬ 
appears  from  the  scene.1 2  In  the  council  of  Jerusalem, 
he  did  not  preside,  but  gave  his  evidence  on  the  point 
in  debate  just  as  Paul  and  Barnabas  did  ;  and  then 
James,  who  seems  to  have  presided,  summed  up  the 
facts,  furnished  the  Scripture  argument,  declared  his 
opinion,  and  carried  the  sentiment  and  votes  of  the 
assembly.3  Paul  is  by  far  the  most  prominent  of  the 
first  preachers  of  the  Gospel,  and  wrote  far  more  of 
the  New  Testament  than  any  other  one  man,  except 
Luke.  In  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans  we  find  no  al¬ 
lusion  to  the  future  prominence  of  that  Church  nor  to 
its  bishops  as  successors  of  Peter,  and  sovereign  pon¬ 
tiffs  over  the  whole  Church.  We  fail  to  find  even  the 

1  Mat.  xxiii.  8,  9. 

2  Acts  x.  These  events  occurred  probably  from  six  to  ten 
years  after  Christ’s  death. 

3  Acts  xv. 


226 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


slightest  hint  of  any  existing  authority  there  greater 
than  his  own.  After  the  Jerusalem  council,  the 
history  is  occupied  with  the  labors  of  Paul  and  his 
companions  in  founding  churches  among  the  Gentiles. 
Paul  declared  positively  his  independence,  as  an  Apos¬ 
tle,  of  Peter  and  of  all  other  men.1  Peter,  James,  and 
John,  he  says,  seemed  to  be  pillars  (note  that  he 
does  not  name  Peter  alone,  even  here),  but  even  they 
conferred  nothing  on  him.2  He  demonstrates  his 
own  independence  of  Peter,  and  his  equality,  to  say 
the  least,  by  relating  an  incident  which  occurred  at 
Antioch.  Peter  was  there  and,  at  first,  disregarding 
Jewish  ceremonial  rules,  had  eaten  with  the  Gentile 
Christians.  But  when  there  came  certain  from  Jeru¬ 
salem  he  withdrew  and  separated  himself,  fearing  the 
obloquy  which  he  would  incur  ;  whereupon  Paul  re¬ 
buked  him  publicly  for  his  unsteadiness  and  dissimu¬ 
lation.3  Paul  even  says  that  as  the  Apostleship  of 
the  Circumcision  was  given  to  Peter,  so  that  of  the 
Gentiles  was  given  to  himself.4  And  as  in  this  Epis¬ 
tle  to  the  Galatians,  so  in  all  the  rest  he  makes  no 
allusion  to  any  supreme  authority  given  to  any  one, 
or  to  any  claim  or  exercise  of  such  authority  by  any 
one.  The  same  is  true  of  James  and  John  and  Jude 
in  their  Epistles. 

Peter  himself,  who  contributes  two  short  Epistles 
to  the  New  Testament,  is  as  ignorant  of  any  such 
authority  as  the  rest.  Speaking  of  Jesus  Christ,  he 


1  Gal.  i.  17,  18  ;  ii.  6,  9. 

3  Gal.  ii.  1 1 -14. 


2  Gal.  ii.  6. 
4  Gal.  ii.  7. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  22? 

says:  “To  whom  coming  as  unto  a  living  stone. 
....  Ye  also,  as  lively  stones,  are  built  up  a  spirit¬ 
ual  house.”  1  In  the  next  verse,  too,  he  speaks  again 
of  Christ  the  corner-stone,  and  then  of  believers  in 
Christ,  as  if  there  was  nothing  between  them.  Again, 
of  elders  he  says :  “  The  elders  (ngsopvTegovg)  among  you 
I  exhort  who  am  also  an  elder  {ov/j,ngeol3vTegogy  Feed 
the  flock  of  God  ....  neither  as  lording  it  over  God’s 
heritage,  but  being  ensamples  to  the  flock.  And  when 
the  Chief  Shepherd  shall  appear,  ye  shall  receive  a 
crown  of  glory  that  fadeth  not  away.”  2  Note,  that  just 
as  in  the  former  passage  he  speaks  first  of  Christ  the 
Foundation-Stone  and  then  of  Christians  built  upon 
it,  so  in  this  last  he  mentions  the  Chief  Shepherd, 
and  then  the  under-shepherds,  among  whom  he  puts 
himself  as  one.  Would  he  thus  have  ignored  an 
office  of  chief  authority  under  Christ  if  such  had  been 
conferred  upon  him  ?  He  evidently  knew  of  no  such 
office.  If  it  be  said  that  Peter  speaks  in  his  Epistles 
very  much  in  the  style  of  a  supreme  bishop  sending 
out  an  encyclical,  we  might  certainly  say  the  same  of 
Paul  in  his  Epistles,  and  especially  in  those  to  Timo¬ 
thy  and  Titus,  exhorting  and  commanding  with  far 
greater  fullness,  and  with  as  much  apparent  authority 
as  Peter.  Were  they  both  popes? 

In  applying  to  Peter,  therefore,  the  words  of  Jesus, 
Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church ,  we  must, 
first,  leave  intact  the  place  and  prerogative  of  Christ 
as  the  One  Great  Foundation  and  Corner-Stone  of 


1  i  Peter  ii.  4-6. 


2  1  Pet.  v.  1-4. 


228 


CHRIST  BIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


the  Church.  We  must  next  see  that  we  keep  in¬ 
violate  the  Vicegerency,  or  Headship  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  the  Church  on  earth,  as  Paracletos  in  the 
place  of  Christ.  We  must  further  reserve  to  the 
other  Apostles  all  the  authority  that  Jesus  gave 
them  when  He  said  :  Whosesoever  sins  ye  remit  they 
are  remitted  unto  them,  and  whosesoever  sins  ye  re¬ 
tain  they  are  retained.  We  must  remember,  too, 
that  Jesus  is  nowhere  else  reported  as  teaching  such 
a  superiority  of  Peter,  but  that  He  inculcated  princi¬ 
ples  incompatible  with  it,  and  that  the  Apostles  in 
their  preaching,  planting  churches,  and  writing 
Epistles  and  Gospels,  proceeded,  as  far  as  can  be 
seen,  without  any  reference  to  the  existence  of  such 
authority  in  Peter.  What  ground  is  left  ?  what  sphere 
for  an  office  to  be  held  by  Peter  so  important  as  that 
must  be  which  these  words  describe,  if  they  apply  to 
him  ?  And  I  say  also  unto  thee,  that  thou  art  Peter ,  and 
upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church,  and  the  gates  of 
hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it.  And  I  will  give  unto 
thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  and  ivhat so¬ 
ever  thou  shall  bifid  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven  ; 
and  whatsoever  thou  shall  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed 
in  heaven.  Peter  was  not  especially  fitted  for  a  re¬ 
sponsibility  and  prerogative  in  the  Church  greater 
than  the  rest.  We  know  his  temperament,  that  he 
was  impulsive,  forward,  unsteady.  In  fact  it  seems 
providentially  ordered  that  an  incident  occurred,  im¬ 
mediately  after  Jesus’  utterance  of  the  above  much- 
debated  words,  to  illustrate  Peter’s  unsteadiness. 
Jesus  was  foretelling  the  sufferings  and  death  which 


RELA  TIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH .  229 

were  awaiting  Him,  when  Peter  took  Him  and  began 
to  rebuke  Him,  saying:  Be  it  far  from  thee,  Lord: 
this  shall  not  be  unto  thee.  And  Jesus  turned  and 
said  unto  Peter:  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan ;  thou  art 
an  offence  unto  me ;  for  thou  savor est  not  the  things 
that  be  of  God,  but  those  that  be  of  men}  Singular 
words  to  one  just  made  the  Rock  on  which  Jesus 
would  build  His  Church!  and  based  on  which  the 
powers  of  hell  would  have  no  power  against  it !  Peter 
would  have  surrendered  it  at  once  to  the  Adversary ; 
and  the  words  of  Jesus  would  have  been  an  empty 
boast.  Is  such  a  man,  however  sincere,  bold,  and  at 
times  wise  and  efficient,  adequate  to  be  the  ROCK 
on  which  the  Church  can  rest  ?  The  office-holder 
must  have  powers  in  keeping  with  the  office  ;  and  for 
such  a  place  as  that  of  the  Foundation-Stone  of  the 
Church  there  are  needed  superhuman  attributes,  and 
among  the  rest  infallibility.  That  the  Church  of 
Rome  feels  this  necessity  is  manifested  by  the  desper¬ 
ate  measure  of  making  the  infallibility  of  the  alleged 
successor  of  Peter  an  article  of  faith.  Besides  this 
step,  which  was  reserved  for  this  late  day,  two  others 
were  necessary  to  its  theory,  one  that  of  declaring 
that  Peter  was  first  bishop  of  Rome,  and  the  other 
that  his  successors  in  that  see  inherit  all  his  special 
powers  and  authority.  The  first  of  these  rests  on  the 
very  slightest  historical  ground,  and  the  second  is 
without  even  a  show  of  support.  By  these  assump¬ 
tions,  the  bishop  of  Rome  becomes  a  usurper  of  the 


1  Mat.  xvi.  22,  23  ;  Mark  viii.  32,  33. 


230 


CHRIST  HIS  0 WN  WITNESS. 


rights  and  powers  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  Paraclete, 
the  ever-present  Divine  Head  of  the  Church. 

On  the  supposition  that  Jesus  said  all  these  words 
in  reference  to  Peter,  what  must  be  their  meaning? 
Look  at  the  connection  of  the  words.  Jesus  had  asked 
His  disciples  :  Whom  say  ye  that  I  c.  m  ?  Peter,  speak¬ 
ing  for  all,  answered  :  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
the  Living  God.  Without  doubt  Jesus  likewise  intend¬ 
ed  for  them  all  what  He  said  in  reply.  There  was  con¬ 
ferred  on  them  all,  therefore,  the  common  authority 
of  the  keys.  Thus  understood  this  passage  is  in  har¬ 
mony  with  that  other  utterance  which  has  already 
been  considered,  in  which  Jesus  gave  them  all  the 
power  to  remit  and  retain  sins.  The  powers  confer¬ 
red  in  the  two  cases  seem  to  be  identical.  If  given 
only  to  Peter  in  the  first  instance,  they  were  bestowed 
on  all  in  the  last.  In  accordance  with  this  view,  all 
the  Apostles  are  represented  as,  in  some  sense,  con¬ 
stituting  a  part  of  the  foundation  of  the  Church. 
Paul  says  to  the  Ephesian  Christians,  (Ye)  are  built 
upon  the  foundation  of  the  Apostles  and  Prophets, 
Jesus  Christ  himself  being  the  Chief  Corner-Stone.1 
Let  this  passage  give  us  the  clue  to  the  mean¬ 
ing  of  Christ’s  words,  on  the  supposition  that  they 
refer  to  Peter.  The  Apostles  were  equal  in  office  and 
authority.  By  their  labors  in  preaching,  planting 
churches,  and  authoritatively  establishing  the  New 
Testament  doctrine  and  order,  they  were  founders  of 
the  Church.  So  Paul  says  of  himself :  By  the  grace 


1  uph.  ii.  2o. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  23 1 

of  God  given  unto  me  I  have  laid  the  foundation  and 

another  buildeth  thereon . For  other  founda- 

♦ 

tion  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus 
Christ.1  Christ,  then,  is  the  only  true  foundation  ;  the 
Apostles  were  foundations  in  a  secondary  sense,  as 
having  founded  the  churches  and  defined  the  Chris¬ 
tian  doctrine,  Therefore  Paul,  in  the  text  just  cited, 
unites  them  with  the  prophets  of  the  Old  Testament. 

For  the  same  reason  the  Apostles  are  represented 
in  the  Revelation  as  connected  with  the  foundation 
of  the  New  Jerusalem  :  And  the  wall  of  the  City  had 
twelve  foundations,  and  in  them  the  names  of  the 
twelve  Apostles  of  the  Lamb.2  Peter  was  eminent  as 
the  leading  founder  of  the  first  Jewish  church  and  as 
the  founder  of  the  first  Gentile  church  in  the  house 
of  Cornelius.  But  in  all  this  he  was  no  higher  than 
the  rest  :  they  and  their  work  will  be  recognized  in 
heaven,  as  well  as  he  and  his,  that  is,  after  all  shall 
have  been  tried  by  fire.3 

Such,  then,  must  have  been  the  meaning  of  Jesus 
if  He  referred  at  all  to  Peter.  He  made  Peter  one  of 
the  founders  of  His  Church  :  this  and  no  more.  But 
there  is  much  in  favor  of  the  old  interpretation  by 
which  Jesus  is  understood  as  referring  in  the  eight¬ 
eenth  verse  to  Himself:  Upon  this  rock  (namely,  my¬ 
self  )/  will  build  my  church.  This  interpretation  re¬ 
quires,  indeed,  the  assumption  of  an  abrupt  change 
in  the  person  spoken  of.  But  such  a  change  occurs 
often  in  the  Greek,  and  especially  in  the  Hebrew, 


1  1  Cor.  iii.  1 1. 


2  Rev.  xxi.  14. 


3  1  Cor.  iii.  13. 


232 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


upon  the  idioms  of  which  the  Jewish  mind  and  lan- 
gyage  were  formed.  The  reference  of  the  phrase 
“  upon  this  rock  ”  to  the  Speaker  is  justified,  too,  by 
a  peculiar,  but  well-known  usage  of  the  Greek  demon¬ 
strative  pronouns.1  Jesus  himself  supplies  us  with 
one  example  of  this  usage.  He  had  driven  out  the 
traders  as  profaners  of  the  temple.  The  Jews  asked 
Him  by  what  sign  He  could  prove  His  right  to 
exercise  such  authority.  Jesus  said  :  Destroy  this 
temple ,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up.  The 
Jews,  as  it  appears,  understood  Him  to  speak  of 
their  temple,  and  they  based  an  accusation  against 
Him  on  these  words  at  His  last  trial.  But  the 
evangelist  assures  us  that  “  he  spake  of  the  tem- 

1  By  this  usage  the  two  demonstrative  pronouns  ovrog  and  ode 
are  made  to  refer  to  the  speaker  himself.  See  Liddell  and  Scott, 
Sixth  edition,  under  ovrog,  C.  i,  ovrog  uvr/g,  for  tyd.  Odyssey  II. 
40.  And,  under  ode  I.  6,  they  say  that  in  Attic  dialogue  the  Masc. 
and  Fern,  often  refer  to  the  speaker.  Kfihner  in  his  “  Ausfiihr- 
liche  Grammatik  ”  says:  “From  the  signification  (of  these  De¬ 
monstratives),  referring  to  that  which  is  present  and  nearest,  has 
been  developed  the  usage  by  which  they  stand  for  iyd  and  ov.” 
Three  examples  from  the  Tragedians  will  illustrate  this  usage. 
Sophocles,  in  CEdip.  Tyr.,  1.  1,464,  makes  CEdipus  say  when 
about  to  die  :  “  My  sons  are  men  and  will  not  want ;  but,  Creon, 
have  a  care  for  these  my  two  wretched  unmarried  daughters,  for 
whom  never  was  my  table  spread  (dvei)  rood’  dvdgog)  without  this 
man,”  (/.  e .,  me).  In  the  Antigone  (1.  1,034),  Creon  says:  “Old 
man,  you  all,  like  archers,  shoot  at  dvdgog  rovde,  this  man  ”  (he 
means  himself).  In  line  43,  Antigone,  to  her  sister’s  question  in 
what  adventure  she  wishes  her  help,  answers,  (I  would  know'* 
whether  you  will  take  up  (for  burial)  the  dead  body  (their 
brother’s)  ovv  ryde  xePL>  with  this  hand  (/.  e.,  with  herself). 


RE  LA  TIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH .  233 

pie  of  his  body.”  1  The  phrase  “  this  temple,”  and 
the  one  under  discussion,  “  this  rock,”  are  entirely 
similar.  The  change  of  reference  is  just  as  abrupt  in 
the  one  case  as  in  the  other;  as  enigmatic  if  you 
please,  and  is  made  by  the  same  pronoun  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  a  figurative  word  designating  Himself. 
“  Destroy  this  temple  ;  ”  “  Upon  this  rock.”  Just  so 
we  have  a  noun  in  connection  with  the  pronoun  in 
one  of  the  classic  cases  adduced  in  the  note.  “  This 
hand,”  i.  e.,  my  hand,  me.  The  change  of  refer¬ 
ence  to  another  person  being  justified,  there  can 
be  no  further  objection  to  the  interpretation  by  which 
Jesus,  in  the  words,  “And  on  this  rock  I  will  build 
my  church,”  is  held  to  have  meant  Himself.  In  favor 
of  this  interpretation  we  have  also  all  that  Jesus  said 
about  Himself  as  the  Chief  Corner-Stone.  See  p.  220, 
sq.  So  understood,  the  words  afford  an  adequate  basis 
for  those  which  follow.  As  Upholder  and  Master  of  the 
Church  He  says  :  And  I  will  give  thee  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  Then  also,  and  only  then,  the 
strong  figure  of  the  Rock  receives  its  full  and  just 
meaning,  the  sense  swells  to  its  full  dimensions,  and 
gives  adequate  ground  for  the  sublime  and  defiant 
assurance  which  follows  :  And  the  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  it.  No  ;  let  the  powers  of  hell 
bring  their  rains,  floods,  and  winds  to  bear  upon  it : 
the  result  will  be,  as  with  the  house  of  the  wise  man 
in  the  parable  :  It  fell  not,  for  it  was  founded  upon  a 
rock .2 


J  John  ii.  18-21. 


2  Mat.  vii.  25. 


234 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


Io8.  JESUS  CLAIMS  THE  CHURCH  AS  HIS  OWN  :  HE  IS 

ITS  HEAD  AND  KING. 

When  Jesus  spoke  of  the  Church,  He  used  words 
which  denote  possession  :  On  this  rock  I  will  build  my 
church }  If  they  have  called  the  Master  of  the  house 
Beelzebub ,  how  much  more  shall  they  call  them  of  his 
hotisehold f 2  The  Church  is  the  household,  He  the 
Master.  He  mentioned  with  approval  the  fact  that 
David  called  Him  Lord.  Hozv  then  doth  David  in 
spirit  call  him  Lord ,  saying,  The  Lord  said  unto  my 
Lord,  Sit  thou  at  my  right  hand?  David  called  Him 
his  Lord,  because  He  is  Messiah,  Lord  of  the  Church, 
and  Lord  of  all.  I  am  the  good  shepherd,  and  know 
my  sheep,  and  am  known  of  mine .4  His  sheep  (His 
people)  constitute  the  Church.  In  the  parable  of  the 
wicked  husbandmen  He  represented  the  owner  as  at 
last  sending  his  son,  and  the  husbandmen  as  say¬ 
ing,  when  they  saw  him,  “  This  is  the  heir ;  come,  let 
us  kill  him.”  By  the  heir  that  was  killed  He  meant 
himself.5  In  the  parable  of  the  virgins  He  says:  At 
midnight  there  was  a  cry  made,  Behold,  the  Bridegroom 
cometh?  By  the  Bridegroom  He  meant  Himself.  The 
Church  is  His  Bride,  who  is  called  the  Lamb’s  wife.7 

1  Mat.  xvi.  1 8. 

2  Mat.  x.  25.  “Master  of  the  house,”  Greek,  obiodeo-oTTic, 
master  of  the  house,  (deonoTrjr,  ruler ,  master).  The  same  word 
occurs  Mark  xiii.  35,  where  also  Jesus  is  represented  as  using  it 
of  Himself — in  parable. 

3  Mat.  xxii.  43  ;  Mark  xii.  35-37  ;  Luke  xx.  44.  4  John  x.  14. 

5  Mat.  xxi.  38  ;  Mark  xii.  7  ;  Luke  xx.  14.  6  Mat.  xxv.  6. 

7  Rev.  xxi.  9. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH .  235 


The  idea  of  exclusive  possession  is,  by  this  figure, 
made  complete. 

Jesus  is  Head  and  King  in  the  Church  because  it  is 
His  by  redemption:  He  gave  Himself  for  it.  I  lay 
dozvn  my  life  for  the  sheep}  He  is  supreme  in  it  by 
the  same  principle  that  He  established  for  all  others : 
Whosoever  will  be  great  among  you ,  let  him  be  your 
minister ;  and  whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you,  let 
him  be  yo7ir  servant :  even  as  the  Son  of  man  came  not 
to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his 
life  a  ransom  for  many}  Having  thus  taken  the 
lowest,  He  is  rewarded  with  the  highest  place.  We 
have  it  from  the  Jews  that  He  said  that  he  himself  is 
Christ  a  king }  We  have  reason  to  believe  them,  for 
to  His  disciples  He  said  :  And  I  appoint  unto  you  a 
kingdom  as  my  Father  hath  appointed  unto  me}  And 
when  Pilate  asked  Him,  Art  thou  a  king,  then  ? 
Jesus  answered  :  Thou  sayest  that  I  am  a  king.  That 
is,  thou  sayest  rightly.* * * 5 6  He  had  just  said  to  the 
governor :  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world ;  if  my 
kingdom  were  of  this  zvorld,  then  would  my  servants 

fight . But  now  is  my  kingdom  7iot  from  hence  .* 

The  expressions  “my  kingdom,”  “his  kingdom,”  re¬ 
ferring  to  Himself,  occur  in  Jesus’  reported  words  six 
times.  There  be  some  standing  here  which  shall  not 
taste  of  death  till  they  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  his 
kingdom}  In  the  interpretation  of  the  parable  of  the 

1  John  x.  15. 

2  Mat.  xx.  26,  27,  28  ;  Mark  x.  43-45  ;  see  Phil.  ii.  7-1 1. 

3  Luke  xxiii.  2.  4  Luke  xxii.  29. 

5  fohn  xviii.  37.  See  p.  33,  note  6. 

6  Verse  36.  7  Mat.  xvi.  28  ;  Mark  ix.  1  ;  Luke  ix.  27. 


236 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


tares,  He  said  that  at  the  judgment  The  Son  of  man 
shall  send  forth  his  angels  and  they  shall  gather  out  of 
his  kingdom  all  things  that  offend ,  and  them  which  do 
iniquity }  Looking  forward  to  heaven,  He  said  to 
His  disciples  :  That  ye  may  eat  and  drink  at  my  table 
in  my  kingdom?  He  will  be  King  then  also  ;  nay, 
in  heaven  will  be  the  consummation  of  His  kingdom. 
Nothing  less  than  the  possession  of  the  throne  of  the 
kingdom  can  be  intended  by  what  He  said  to  John  : 
These  things  saith  he  that  hath  the  key  of  David ?  The 
possession  of  the  keys  is  not  always  the  token  of 
supreme  power.4  But  in  this  case  it  is  plain  that 
supreme  power  is  indicated.  There  is  doubtless  an 
emphasis  in  the  words,  “  he  that  hath  ;  ”  they  express 
here  DOMINANT  possession. 

The  terms  by  which  Jesus  expressed  His  owner¬ 
ship  of  the  Church  and  His  supreme  authority  over 
it,  are  the  possessive  pronouns  “  MINE  ”  and  “  HIS  ” 
applied  to  it,  the  names  “  LORD,”  “  MASTER,” 
“  Bridegroom,”  “  King,”  applied  to  Himself ; 
“Church,”  “Sheep,”  “Fold,”  “Kingdom,”  ap¬ 
plied  to  the  whole  company  of  His  followers,  and  the 
words  “  Throne  ”  and  of  “  Key  of  David  ”  as 
tokens  of  the  possession  and  exercise  of  kingly  power. 

IO9.  JESUS  MAINTAINS  CONSTANT  RULE  AND  WATCH¬ 
FUL  CARE  OVER  HIS  CHURCH. 

The  ownership  of  the  Church  is  not  a  matter  of 
indifference  to  the  Lord  Jesus.  This  we  see  from 

1  Mat.  xiii.  41.  2  Luke  xxii.  30.  3  Rev.  iii.  7. 

4  Mat.  xvi.  19.  See  §  107.  Isaiah  xxii.  22. 


DELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  237 


His  so  frequently  calling  it  His,  and  from  His  expres¬ 
sions  of  tenderness  and  love  in  regard  to  it.  I  am 
the  Good  Shepherd ;  the  good  shepherd  giveth  his  life 
for  the  sheep}  Feed  my  sheep.  Feed  my  lambs }  Holy 
Father ,  keep  them } 

Headship  of  the  Church  with  Him  is  also  no  sine¬ 
cure  :  His  love  would  not  permit  this.  His  words  in 
reference  to  the  Church,  The  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  it*  show  that  He  recognized  the  hos¬ 
tility  felt  and  the  active  war  carried  on  against  it  by 
the  powers  of  darkness,  and  their  earthly  auxiliaries. 
They  show,  too,  that  in  opposition  to  these,  He,  the 
Church’s  King,  has  adopted  the  policy  of  the  deter¬ 
mined  defence  of  the  Church.  He  carries  out  what 
was  predicted  of  Him,5  and  the  result  is  sure.  Not 
only  shall  the  Church  be  defended,  but  its  enemies 
shall  be  put  under  the  feet  of  its  King. 

Within  the  Church  also,  the  Headship  of  Jesus  is 
no  sinecure.  He  has  permitted  us  to  see  something 
of  His  ways  as  Ruler  of  His  redeemed.  The  sweet 
name  by  which  He  called  Himself,  I  am  the  Good 
Shepherd ,6  expresses  all  possible  love,  care,  and  pro¬ 
vision  for  the  Church’s  well-being  and  assurance. 
My  sheep  hear  my  voice ,  and  I  knozv  them ,  and  they 
follow  me}  I  know  my  sheep  and  am  known  of  mine* 
This  mutual  knowledge  implies  on  His  part  constant 
presence  and  gracious  intercourse.  These  things  saith 
he  that  ....  walketh  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  golden 

3  John  xvii.  1 1. 

6  John  x.  1 1. 

“Vs.  14. 


1  John  x.  1 1. 

4  Mat.  xvi.  18. 
7  John  x.  27. 


2  John  xxi.  1 5-17. 
6  Ps.  ii.  and  cx. 


238 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


candlesticks }  The  seven  candlesticks  are  the  seven 
churches.1 2  Jesus  walks  in  the  midst  of  them,  watch¬ 
ing,  providing,  ruling  ;  in  love  and  wisdom  fulfilling 
His  office  as  the  Church’s  Shepherd  and  Head. 
There  is  a  negative  idea,  also,  to  this  Headship  of 
Jesus  in  His  Church  :  there  can  be  no  other  Head  of 
the  Church  but  Himself,  and  no  authority  to  exercise 
control  but  such  as  He  has  expressly  appointed. 

IIO.  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  THE  AGENT  OF  CHRIST  IN 
THE  CHURCH  ON  EARTH,  WITH  THE  OFFICE  AND 
AUTHORITY  OF  PARACLETE  IN  CHRIST’S  PLACE. 

The  words  of  Jesus  bearing  on  this  point  have  all 
been  quoted  in  the  Chapter  on  the  Relations  of  Jesus 
to  the  Holy  Spirit.3  A  fresh  reference  to  them  and 
to  the  history  of  primitive  and  later  times  will  sus¬ 
tain  the  following  statement. 

As  Agent  of  its  Head  the  Spirit  has  authority  in 
the  Church.4  He  acts  in  this  capacity  in  union  and 
harmony  with  its  Head.5 *  This  union  and  harmony 
are  so  intimate,  that  whatever  the  Spirit  does  may 
be  and  is  ascribed  also  to  Jesus  Christ.0  It  is  in  view 
of  this  intimacy  of  relation  and  action,  that  the  Spirit 
is  called  the  Spirit  of  Christ.7  In  fulfilling  His  work 

1  Rev.  i.  13  ;  ii.  i.  2  Rev.  i.  20. 

8  See  Chapter  X.  4  John  xiv.  16;  I  Cor.  xii.  11. 

6  John  xvi.  13,  14. 

6  Mat.  xxviii.  20.  “  I  am  with  you,”  i.  e.,  by  my  spirit.  John 

xiv.  18.  Much  that  Jesus  says  (quoted  in  the  sections  yet  to 

come),  as  done  by  Himself,  He  does  through  the  Spirit. 

7  Rom.  viii.  9  ;  1  Pet.  i.  1 1. 


RE  LA  TIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  239 

in  the  Church,  the  Spirit  caused  the  New  Testament 
to  be  written,  so  presiding  over  the  writing  that  the 
whole  of  it  is  the  word  of  Jesus  given  to  the  Church.1 
The  Spirit  imparted  to  believers  at  first  miraculous 
powers,2  and  bestows  upon  them,  in  all  ages,  spiritual 
gifts.3  He  makes  the  word  effectual  to  conviction,4 
conversion,5  and  salvation.6  Though  the  Church  is 
not  in  itself  infallible,  nevertheless,  having  the  New 
Testament  as  its  standard  of  Faith  and  Order,  and 
being  under  the  rule  and  guidance  of  its  Ever-Present 
Divine  Paraclete,  as  Captain  of  the  host  of  the  Lord, 
it  is,  and  shall  be,  so  assisted  as  to  be  kept  spiritually 
alive,  so  as  to  increase  in  the  knowledge  of  the  truth 
and  in  Christian  graces,  so  as  to  advance  in  energy  of 
action,  in  success  of  effort,  in  enlargement  of  numbers, 
in  extension  of  boundaries,  till  it  shall  finally  triumph 
over  all  opposition  without,  and  error  and  sin  within, 
and  be  made  meet  for  its  Heavenly  Bridegroom.7 

The  authority  of  the  Spirit  in  the  Church  being 
established  by  the  Head  of  the  Church,  is  sacred,  and 
is  to  be  always  fully  recognized  and  loyally  obeyed. 
Any  disobedience,  and  especially  any  usurpation  of 
His  office  and  authority,  is  fearfully  like  “  the  sin 
against  the  Holy  Ghost  ”  which  “hath  never  forgive¬ 
ness.  ”  His  guidance  and  help  are  to  be  believingly 
sought  and  confidently  trusted.  He  must  not  be 
grieved  lest  He  withdraw  and  we  perish. 


J  John  xvi.  13,  14. 

Gal.  v.  22,  23. 

5  John  iii.  1-1 1. 


6  John  iv.  14. 


2 1  Cor.  xii.  r-i  r. 
4  John  xvi.  8-1 1. 

7  Eph.  v.  26,  27. 


2  AO 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


We  will  not  be  surprised  that  Jesus  spoke  often  of 
Himself  as  doing  what  He  does  by  His  Spirit.  He 
does  not  thereby  ignore  the  Spirit’s  agency  which 
He  himself  has  established,  and  we  must  not  ignore  it. 

III.  JESUS  HAS  GIVEN  LAWS  TO  HIS  CHURCH. 

Jesus’  authority  as  Law-giver  extends  to  all  men. 
But  as  King  of  the  Church  He  has  established  Laws 
for  its  government  and  for  the  direction  of  its  in¬ 
dividual  members.  These  have  been  presented  and 
studied  in  the  section  on  the  Conditions  of  Disciple- 
ship,  and  need  not  be  repeated  here.1  As  was  said  in 
the  last  Section,  the  whole  of  the  New  Testament 
may  be  considered  as  the  w^ord  of  Christ,  since  it  was 
indited  by  His  Spirit.  “  Holy  men  of  God  spake  ” 
also  in  the  Old  Testament  “as  they  were  moved  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,”  which  was  even  then  “  the  Spirit 
of  Christ  ;  ”2  and  so  far  as  their  words  have  not  al¬ 
ready  been  fulfilled  in  Christ,  they  are  still  valid  as 
inspired  teachings,  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof 
for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness.3 

1 12.  JESUS  SANCTIONED  THE  UNITED  WORSHIP  OF 
HIS  PEOPLE,  AND  HAS  GIVEN  A  GREAT  PROMISE 
IN  REFERENCE  TO  IT. 

In  the  Lord’s  Prayer,  Jesus  teaches  and  sanctions 
united  prayer  in  the  opening  words,  Our  Father 
which  art  in  heave?!?  He  said  also  explicitly :  Verily 

1  See  §  88,  pp.  185-190. 

3  2  Tim.  iii.  16. 


2  1  Pet.  i.  11. 

4  Mat.  vi.  9  ;  Luke  xi.  2. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  24 1 

I  say  unto  you ,  That  if  tivo  of  you  shall  agree  on 
earth,  as  touching  anything  that  they  shall  ask,  it 
shall  be  done  for  them  of  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven.  For  where  tzuo  or  three  are  gathered  to¬ 
gether  in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of 
them}  With  this  agrees  the  representation  of  the 
Psalmist,  who  by  prophecy  makes  the  Messiah  say : 
“  In  the  midst  of  the  church  will  I  sing  praise  unto 
thee.”  2 

Jesus  himself  attended  the  synagogue  and  temple 
services,  and  so  sanctioned  united  worship  by  His 
practice.  It  is  remarkable  how  little  He  himself  said 
on  this  subject.  The  texts  just  quoted  are  all.  But 
they  are  broad  in  scope  and  full  of  meaning.  He 
authorizes  His  people  to  go  together  to  God  as  to  a 
Father,  as  brethren  to  a  common  Father.  And  note 
those  other  words,  the  promise  of  His  presence  to 
two  or  three  gathered  together  in  His  name.  He 
will  be  with  them  to  hear,  to  know,  to  love,  and  to 
bless.  He  gives  this  great  promise  to  the  smallest 
possible  number  which  can  be  gathered.  He  will  not 
despise  or  neglect  the  two  or  three.  Of  course  all 
larger  assemblies  are  included  in  the  scope  of  the 
promise.  Again,  no  matter  where  they  meet,  in  the 
great  cathedral,  the  church,  the  meeting-house,  the 
school-house,  the  dwelling-house,  in  the  woods,  on 
the  prairie,  or  among  the  mountains — wherever  it  be, 
if  met  in  His  name,  obeying  Him,  trusting  in  Him, 
pleading  His  merits  and  intercession,  they  have  the 


1  Mat.  xviii.  19,  20. 


2  Ps.  xxii.  22  ;  Heb.  ii.  12. 


24<2 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


promise.  The  single  condition  is  that  they  meet  in 
His  name.  He  omits  all  about  leaders,  forms,  serv¬ 
ices  of  song,  sermons,  authorization  of  the  worship 
by  the  Church  or  the  State.  How  can  we  even  men¬ 
tion  such  things  as  these  in  close  connection  with 
this  great  promise,  so  grand  in  its  simplicity,  from  the 
Church’s  Head. 

1 13.  JESUS  INSTITUTED  AND  EXPLAINED  THE  ORDI¬ 
NANCE  OF  THE  LORD’S  SUPPER. 

As  they  were  eating  at  the  passover-table  Jesus 
took  bread  and  blessed  it  and  brake  it  and  gave  it  to 
the  disciples,  saying:  Take,  eat ;  this  is  my  body.' 
“  The  Lord  Jesus  the  same  night  in  which  he  was  be¬ 
trayed,  took  bread  :  and  when  he  had  given  thanks, 
he  brake  it,  and  said,  Take,  eat ;  this  is  my  body  which 
is  broken  for  you  :"  2  “And  he  took  bread  and  gave 
thanks,  and  brake  it,  and  gave  it  to  them,  saying, 
This  is  my  body  which  is  given  for  yon  :  this  do  in 
remembrance  of  meT  3  “  And  he  took  the  cup  and 

gave  thanks,  and  gave  it  to  them,  saying,  Drink  ye 
all  of  it,  for  this  is  my  blood  of  the  new  testament 
which  is  shed  for  many  for  the  remission  of  sins .”  4 
“  Likewise  also  the  cup  after  supper,  saying,  This  cup 
is  the  new  testament  in  my  blood,  which  is  shed  for 
you."  5  “  This  cup  is  the  new  testament  in  my  blood; 

this  do,  as  oft  as  ye  drink  it,  in  remembrance  of  me."  6 

1  Mat.  xxvi.  26 ;  Mark  xiv.  22.  2  1  Cor.  xi.  23,  24. 

3  Luke  xxii.  19.  4  Mat.  xxvi.  27,  28  ;  Mark  xiv.  24. 

6  Luke  xxii.  20.  8  1  Cor.  xi.  25. 


RELA  TIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  243 

Let  us  review  and  study  well  these  words  of  Jesus 
in  regard  to  the  holy  supper.  They  are  recorded  by 
Matthew,  Mark,  Luke,  and  Paul.  He  said,  “  This 
do  in  remembrance  of  me,”  as  Luke  and  Paul  tell  us 
in  connection  with  the  distribution  of  the  bread,  and, 
as  Paul  says,  in  connection  also  with  the  distribution 
of  the  cup.  Evidently,  then,  He  instituted  the  or¬ 
dinance  as  a  memorial  rite,  as  one  means  of  preserv¬ 
ing  from  perversion  in  the  Church  the  truth  which  it 
expresses,  but  also  for  keeping  alive  and  tender  and 
effective  the  remembrance  of  His  love,  sufferings,  and 
death.  It  is  exceedingly  simple,  as  was  fitting.  He 
took  of  what  was  before  Him  on  the  passover-table, 
of  the  bread  and  the  wine — doubtless  He  regarded 
them  appropriate  to  His  purpose — and  He  explained 
their  significance  and  use  in  the  new  ordinance.  The 
broken  bread,  He  said,  was  His  body,  i.  e.,  repre¬ 
sented  His  body  broken  for  men.  That  which  was  in 
the  cup,  spoken  of  as  the  fruit  of  the  vine,  which  was 
a  liquid  capable  of  being  drunk,  was,  i.  e.,  repre¬ 
sented,  His  blood  of  the  new  testament  shed  for  many 
for  the  remission  of  sins.  Note,  Matthew  and  Mark 
say  He  took  the  bread  and  “  blessed  ”  ;  Luke  and 
Paul,  that  He  took  bread  and  “gave  thanks;”  Mat¬ 
thew  and  Mark  say,  He  took  the  cup  and  “  gave 
thanks;”  Luke  and  Paul  use  the  word  “Likewise” 
when  speaking  of  the  cup,  which  covers  not  only  His 
taking  it,  but  also  the  giving  thanks.  The  “  blessing  ” 
and  the  “  giving  thanks  ”  in  connection  with  the 
bread  were  doubtless  the  same,  and  just  like  the 
giving  thanks  in  connection  with  the  wine.  Jesus 


244 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


told  the  disciples  to  eat  the  bread,  and  all  of  them  to 
drink  of  the  wine,  and  to  observe  this  simple  rite  per¬ 
petually,  in  remembrance  of  Him,  until  He  should 
come.  Their  eating  and  drinking  these  symbols  of 
His  body  and  blood  was  to  be  a  lively  representation 
of  their  exercise  of  faith  in  His  atoning  death,  and  so 
it  signifies  just  what  He  meant  by  “  eating  (his) 
flesh  ”  and  u  drinking  (his)  blood,”  in  His  discourse 
to  the  Jews,  preserved  in  John,  chapter  vi.1 

By  this  ordinance  the  central  truths  of  Christian¬ 
ity,  namely,  Redemption  by  the  death  of  Christ, 
and  Faith  in  Him  as  the  means  of  securing  it, 
are  taught  through  the  eye,  as  by  preaching  they  are 
through  the  ear :  and  the  ordinance  is  thus  well 
adapted  to  be  a  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth,  as 
well  as  perpetual  means  of  edification. 

But  just  upon  this  ordinance,  which  is  the  ark  of 
the  covenant,  so  to  speak,  of  the  earthly  Church,  the 
great  adversary  has  used  all  his  arts  of  perversion 
and  destruction,  and  with  terrible  effect.  The  simple 
words,  “  This  is  my  body,”  “  This  is  my  blood,”  have 
been  construed  with  the  strictest  literalness,  so  as  to 
teach  that  the  bread  and  the  wine  used  in  the  Lord’s 
supper  are  changed,  by  the  priest’s  consecration,  into 
the  very  flesh  and  blood  of  Jesus,  which  are  thus 
literally  eaten  and  drunk  by  the  communicant.  Then 
what  Jesus  says  elsewhere  about  eating  His  flesh  and 
drinking  His  blood  2  has  been  understood  of  the  eat¬ 
ing  and  drinking  the  bread  and  the  wine  of  the 


1  See  §  92,  p.  199. 


5  John  vi.  32-58. 


RELA  TIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  245 

Lord’s  supper,  and  so,  the  communing  at  the  hands 
of  a  duly  authorized  priest  has  been  made  necessary 
to  salvation. 

In  order  to  support  such  a  superstructure  as  this, 
its  foundation,  namely  the  strictly  literal  interpreta¬ 
tion  of  the  words  of  Christ,  ought  to  be  very  certain  : 
whereas  nothing  could  be  less  certain,  or  rather 
nothing  more  certainly  erroneous.  If  the  words  of 
Christ  had  such  a  meaning,  how  careful  should  the 
sacred  writers  have  been  to  retain  exactly  their 
proper  form.  But  as  Luke  and  Paul  have  recorded 
the  words  of  Jesus  in  reference  to  the  wine,  He  said  : 
This  cup  is  the  new  testament  in  my  blood. '  These 
words,  by  a  rational  exegesis,  say  the  same  thing  as 
those  given  by  Matthew  and  Mark,  namely,  that  the 
wine  (in  the  cup)  represents  His  blood  shed  for  the 
remission  of  sins,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  cove¬ 
nant  of  grace.  But  on  the  theory  of  the  literal  inter¬ 
pretation,  which  must  be  applied  in  all  its  strictness 
to  these  words  as  well  as  to  those  referring  to  the 
bread,  not  the  wine  in  the  cup,  but  the  cup  itself, 
wrhether  of  earth,  wood,  or  metal,  is  the  blood  ;  or 
rather  not  the  blood,  but  the  covenant  which  was 
established  in  or  by  the  blood.  The  literal  cup  is  the 
literal  covenant  ;  whatever  that  may  mean.  Again, 
it  is  against  the  assumption  of  such  a  mighty  change 
in  the  elements,  that  no  such  change  is  asserted  by 
Jesus.  He  says,  in  terms,  “This  is  my  body.”  “  my 
blood,”  not,  They  are,  or  have  been,  changed  into  my 


1 1  Cor.  xi.  25  ;  Luke  xxii.  20. 


246 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


body,  my  blood.  How  unlike  also  is  this  to  the 
result  of  the  miracle  at  Cana,  where  the  water, 
changed  into  wine,  itself  made  evident  to  the  senses  of 
the  ruler  of  the  feast,  and  of  every  guest  who  tasted 
it,  the  change  it  had  undergone.  In  the  ordinance  of 
the  Lord’s  Supper,  the  senses  of  millions  on  millions 
have  testified  just  the  contrary.  The  alleged  change 
is  said  to  take  place  at  the  moment  of  the  utterance 
of  the  words  of  “  consecration  ;  ”  Jesus  did  not  conse¬ 
crate  the  bread  and  the  wine.  He  “blessed” — 
prayed  for  God’s  blessing  on  the  use  of  the  bread,  or, 
according  to  Luke  and  Paul,  He  “  gave  thanks  ”  be¬ 
fore  using  it.1  His  words  were  doubtless  of  the 
import  expressed  by  these  simple  phrases.  His  pre¬ 
cise  language  not  being  given,  we  can  only  infer  its 
tenor  from  these  compendious  descriptions.  If  such 
a  mighty  transubstantiation  was  to  follow,  the  words 
of  “  blessing  ”  should  have  been  exactly  recorded  and 
would  need  to  be  exactly  repeated.  Shall  human 
words  substituted  for  those  of  Jesus  produce  such 
effects  ?  On  the  contrary  how  appropriate  are  simple 
words  of  prayer  and  thanksgiving,  in  imitation  of 
those  of  Jesus,  when  Christians  obey  His  gracious 
command  :  “  Do  this  in  remembrance  of  me .”  These 
very  words  show  that  in  partaking,  believers  are  to 
“  remember  ”  what  Christ  has  done ;  the  false  inter- 

1  The  words  “  blessed  ”  and  “  gave  thanks  ”  ( evloyrjaag , 
tvTTjoag),  are  placed  absolutely,  without  any  object  expressed.  He 
blessed,  He  gave  thanks  (for  the  bread,  the  wine).  This  fact 
puts  the  assumption  of  a  formal  consecration  and  of  a  miraculous 
change  of  the  elements  still  more  in  abeyance. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  247 

pretation  directs  their  attention  to  what  is  done  at 
the  moment  of  communing,  and  leads  to  the  forget¬ 
ting  of  Jesus  himself. 

The  doctrine  of  transubstantiation  involves  absurd, 
horrible,  and  disgusting  consequences,  as  is  plainly 
enough  admitted  in  the  multitude  of  special  rules 
carefully  observed  in  regard  to  the  consecrated  ele¬ 
ments.  The  doctrine  is  drawn  from  the  words  of 
Jesus  only  by  a  disregard  of  one  of  the  most  common 
laws  of  language,  that,  namely,  by  which  one  object 
is  used  to  represent  another.  Not  only  the  language 
of  the  Bible,  but  that  of  every  other  book,  also  the 
common  conversation  of  adults  and  even  of  children, 
constantly  shows  the  working  of  this  law.  When  the 
Saviour  said,  The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you  they 
are  spirit  aiid  they  are  life,1  He  did  not  mean  that 
His  literal  words,  the  articulated  sounds,  or  vibra¬ 
tions  of  air,  were  the  literal  spirit  and  life  of  believers. 
By  His  “  words  ”  He  evidently  meant  their  u  mean¬ 
ing,”  the  doctrine  which  they  conveyed.  And  even 
the  “  doctrine  ”  is  not  itself  the  life  of  men  ;  but  it  is 
the  means  by  which,  in  connection  with  the  work  of 
the  Spirit,  the  *  life  of  piety  is  developed  in  them. 
Jesus  interpreting  the  parable  of  the  tares  of  the 
field,  said  :  “  The  field  IS  the  world,  the  good  seed 
ARE  the  children  of  the  kingdom,  and  the  tares  ARE 
the  children  of  the  wicked  one  ;  the  enemy  that 
sowed  them  IS  the  devil,  the  harvest  IS  the  end  of  the 
world,  and  the  reapers  ARE  the  angels.” 2  Does  any 


1  John  vi.  63. 


2  Mat.  xiii.  38,  39. 


248 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITHE SS. 


one  believe  that  by  these  several  predications  our 
Lord  meant  anything  more  than  that  the  field  and 
the  seed,  etc.,  of  the  parable  were  intended  to  repre¬ 
sent  the  world,  etc.,  in  the  reality  ?  Or  if  a  case  is 
demanded  where  tangible  objects  are  spoken  of,  and 
one  is  made  to  represent  the  other,  we  have  Paul  in¬ 
terpreting  his  allegory  of  Sarah  and  Hagar,“  For  this 
Hagar  is  (represents  in  allegory)  Mount  Sinai  in 
Arabia.”  1  Shall  we  bring  in  here  the  doctrine  of  tran- 
substantiation,  and  understand  Paul  as  asserting  that 
Sarah’s  maid  was  changed,  flesh  and  blood,  into  the 
granite  mountain  ?  Let  us  rather  use  that  simple 
law  of  language  which  we  observe  everywhere  else 
and  are  in  no  danger  of  perverting.  Jesus  said  :  “  My 
sheep  hear  my  voice.”2  “  I  am  the  Vine,  ye  are  the 
branches.”  3  When  once  His  disciples  had  forgotten 
to  take  bread,  and  their  supply  was  reduced  to  a 
single  loaf,  Jesus  said  to  them:  “Beware  of  the 
leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  of  the  Sadducees.”  They 
thereupon  thought  (but  they  were  mistaken)  that  He 
spake  “  concerning  bread  ;  ”  and  even  that  interpre¬ 
tation  of  theirs  was  a  departure  from  the  most  literal 
sense,  for  He  said  “  leaven,”  not  “  bread  ;  ”  and  only 
after  some  time  did  they  come  to  understand  that 
He  meant  by  leaven  the  “  doctrine  ”  of  the  Pharisees 
and  of  the  Sadducees.4  The  human  mind  delights  in 
such  transfers  of  signification,  and,  indeed,  finds  them 
necessary.  Language  would  be  intolerable,  or  rather, 
impossible  without  them. 

1  Gal.  iv.  25.  2  John  x.  27.  3  John  xv.  5. 

4  Mat.  xvi.  6-12  ;  Mark  viii.  14-21  ;  Luke  xii.  1. 


RELA  T ION’S  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  249 

Neither  is  the  doctrine  of  Consubstantiation  con¬ 
tained  in  these  words  of  Jesus  in  regard  to  the  sacra¬ 
mental  bread  and  wine.  It  has,  however,  a  truth  for 
its  basis ;  namely,  that  in  every  case  of  worthy  par¬ 
taking  of  the  bread  and  the  wine,  there  is  also  a 
spiritual  partaking  of  the  benefits  flowing  from  the 
sacrifice  of  Christ’s  body  and  blood. 

We  have  endeavored,  as  we  could,  to  set  forth  the 
true  meaning  of  the  words  which  Jesus  used  in  insti¬ 
tuting  the  ordinance  of  the  Sacred  Supper.  The 
refutation  of  the  false  doctrine  contributes  to  the 
illustration  of  the  true.  The  certainty  of  the  use  of 
metaphor  in  Jesus’  words  concerning  the  cup,  espe¬ 
cially  as  given  by  Luke  and  Paul,  justifies  the  assump¬ 
tion  that  metaphor  is  also  used  in  those  concerning 
the  bread.  So  understood,  all  is  simple,  intelligible, 
and  free  from  the  possible  perversions  of  superstition 
and  priestcraft  ;  the  efficacy  of  the  Gospel  and  its 
ordinances  is  assigned  to  its  real  Divine  sources ; 
Christians  are  edified,  and  Christ  is  remembered  and 
honored. 

1 14.  JESUS  SELECTS  AND  SENDS  FORTH  ALL  HIS 
MINISTERS  TO  THEIR  WORK. 

At  the  Jordan,  soon  after  His  baptism,  Jesus  said 
to  Philip,  Follow  me ;  that  is,  as  a  disciple.1  He 
designed,  however,  as  afterward  appears,  to  appoint 
him  further  to  the  Apostleship.  He  called  Matthew 
from  his  seat  as  tax-gatherer,  saying  with  the  same 


1  John  i.  43. 


250 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


intent :  Follozv  me}  He  called  Peter  and  Andrew  to 
the  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry  with  the  words  : 
Follow  me,  and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men }  This 
was  a  lively  figure  of  their  future  business  drawn 
from  their  previous  employment.  He  repeated  the 
command  to  Peter  just  before  His  ascension:  Follow 
me  ;  Follozv  thou  me  ;  Feed  my  lambs  ;  Feed  my  sheep : 
These  last  commands  teach  the  nature  of  the  pastoral 
office,  and  its  direct  relation  to  Jesus.  Peter  reiter¬ 
ates  it  to  all  under- shepherds.* 4  Jesus  said  to  the 
Apostles,  Have  not  I  chosen  you  twelve ?5 6  referring  in  this 
incidental  way  to  their  selection  by  Him  as  recorded 
in  Mark  and  Luke.5a  And  again  :  Ye  have  not  chosen 
me,  but  I  have  chosc7i  you ,  and  ordained  you,  that  ye 
should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit}  When  He  first  sent 
out  the  Apostles,  He  said  :  Behold,  I  send  you  forth  as 
lambs  among  wolves }  And  afterward,  referring  to 
the  same  occasion,  He  said  :  When  I  sent  you  without 
purse ,  and  scrip ,  and  shoes,  lacked  ye  anything  f 8  To 
Peter  He  said  :  And  I  zvill  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  and  what  soever  thou  shalt  bind 
on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven ,  and  whatsoever  thou 
shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven .9  And  to 
all  the  eleven:  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost .  Whoseso¬ 
ever  sins  ye  remit ,  they  are  remitted  unto  them,  and 
zvhosesoever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are  retained}*  He  ap- 

1  Mat.  ix.  9  ;  Mark  ii.  14  ;  Luke  v.  27. 

2  Mat.  iv.  19  ;  Mark  i.  17  ;  Luke  v.  10.  3  John  xxi.  15-22. 

4  1  Pet.  v.  2-4.  5  John  vi.  70.  ba  Mark  iii.  13,  14;  Luke  vi.  13, 

6  John  xv.  16.  7  Mat.  x.  16;  Luke  x.  3.  8  Luke  xxii.  35. 

B  Mat.  xvi.  19.  10  John  xx.  22,  23.  See  §  107,  p.  223. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  25  I 

pointed  Saul  of  Tarsus  to  the  ministry  and  apostle- 
ship  :  He  is  a  chosen  vessel  unto  me  to  hear  my  name 
before  the  Gentiles ,  and  kings ,  and  the  children  of  Israel } 
Depart ,  for  I  will  send  thee  far  hence  unto  the  Gentiles? 
I  have  appeared  unto  thee  for  this  purpose  to  make  thee 
a  minister  and  a  witness  both  of  these  things  which 
thou  hast  seen ,  and  of  those  things  in  the  which  I  will 
appear  unto  thee  ;  delivering  thee  from  the  people ,  and 
from  the  Gentiles ,  unto  whom  now  I  send  thee? 

Jesus  says  that  He  holds  the  seven  stars  in  His 
right  hand.4  The  seven  stars  are  the  “ angels”  (prob¬ 
ably  the  pastors)  of  the  seven  churches.5  By  His 
holding  these  in  His  hand,  is  expressed  His  ap¬ 
pointing  them  and  keeping  them  in  office.  The  let¬ 
ter  to  each  of  the  angels  of  the  seven  churches  is  an 
official  document  sent  through  His  servant  John, 
exhibiting  Jesus  in  the  actual  exercise  of  His  office 
and  authority  as  Chief  Shepherd,  exercising  oversight 
over  both  pastors  and  churches,  just  as  He  doubtless 
exercises  it  in  all  ages  of  His  Church.6  He  said  to 
the  eleven  :  Ye  also  shall  bear  witness ,  because  ye  have 
been  with  me  from  the  beginning?  And  ye  are  wit¬ 
nesses  of  these  things 8  (that  is,  of  His  sufferings,  death, 
and  resurrection).  Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me  both 
in  Jerusalem  and  in  all  Judea ,  and  in  Samaria ,  and 
unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth?  As  my  Father 
hath  sent  me ,  even  so  send  I  you.10  As  thou  hast  sent 

1  Acts  ix.  15,  2  Acts  xxii.  21.  3  Acts  xxvi.  16,  17. 

*  Rev.  ii.  1.  5  See  Rev.  i.  20.  8  Rev.  chs.  ii.  and  iii. 

7  John  xv.  27.  “  Luke  xxiv.  48.  9  Acts  i.*8. 

19  John  xx.  21. 


252 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


me  into  the  world ,  even  so  have  I  sent  them  into  ihe 
world}  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel 
to  every  creature  '}  Go  ye  therefore  and  teach  all  na¬ 
tions,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father ,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  teaching  them  to  ob¬ 
serve  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you : 
a7id  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway ,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
zvorld? 

The  very  terms  of  this  command  show  that  it  is  a 
final,  full,  and  perpetual  commission,  binding  on  all 
those  who  are  qualified  and  authorized  to  preach  the 
Gospel,  and  also  on  all  Christians,  to  promote,  each 
in  his  way  and  according  to  his  means,  the  univeisal 
spread  of  the  Gospel. 

I  15.  JESUS  ARMED  THE  FIRST  PREACHERS  OF  THE 
GOSPEL  WITH  MIRACULOUS  POWERS. 

The  works  that  I  do  shall  he  do  also ,  and  greater 
works  than  these  shall  he  do,  because  I  go  unto  my  Father} 
Behold,  I  give  unto  you  power  to  tread  on  serpents  arid 
scorpions,  and  over  all  the  power  of  the  enemy }  He 
promised  also  other  power:  I  will  give  you  a  mouth 
and  wisdom  which  all  your  adversaries  shall  7iot  be 
able  to  gainsay  nor  resist }  Their  converts  also  were 
to  share  in  the  miraculous  powers :  And  these  signs 
shall  follow  them  that  believe  ;  In  my  name  shall  they 
cast  out  devils ;  they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues ; 
they  shall  take  up  serpents,  arid  if  they  driuk  any 


1  John  xvii.  18.  2  Mark  xvi.  15.  3 4  Mat.  xxviii.  19,  20. 

4  John  xiv.  12.  6  Luke  x.  19.  0  Luke  xxi.  15. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  253 


deadly  thing  it  shall  not  hurt  them;  they  shall  lay 
hands  on  the  siek  and  they  shall  recover} 

All  these  miraculous  effects  were  realized  in  the 
primitive  age ;  not  always  and  universally,  but  yet 
very  largely.  The  terms  of  the  promise  confine  these 
extraordinary  powers  to  the  first  preachers  and  their 
immediate  converts ;  and  it  is  probable  that  they 
lasted  no  longer,  but  ceased  with  these  first  receivers 
of  them.  But  some  of  these  thus  gifted  may  have 
lived  far  into  the  second  century. 

1 16.  JESUS  ASSIGNS  TO  EACH  WORKER  HIS  WORK 

AND  ITS  DURATION. 

Jesus  said  of  Saul  of  Tarsus  :  He  is  a  chosen  vessel 
unto  me  to  bear  my  name  before  the  Gentiles,  and  kings , 
and  the  children  of  Israel .  For  I  will  show  him  how 
great  things  he  must  suffer  for  my  name  s  sake }  And 
Luke  reports  that  more  than  once  Jesus  appeared  to 
Paul  in  vision  for  the  purpose  of  directing  his  move¬ 
ments.  Then  spake  the  Lord  to  Paul  in  the  night  by  a 
vision ,  Be  not  af  raid ,  but  speak ,  and  hold  not  thy  peace  ; 
for  I  am  with  thee ,  and  no  man  shall  set  on  thee  to 
hurt  thee ;  for  I  have  much  people  in  this  city}  And 
the  night  following ,  the  Lord  stood  by  him  and  said ,  Be 
of  good  cheer ,  Paul ;  for  as  thou  hast  testified  of  me  in 
Jerusalem ,  so  must  thou  bear  witness  also  at  Rome} 
And  we  have  Paul’s  own  account  of  another  similar 
instance  of  direction:  I  was  in  a  trance  and  saw  Him 


1  Mark  xvi.  17,  18. 
8  Acts  xviii.  9,  10. 


2  Acts  ix.  15,  16. 
4  Acts  xxiii.  11. 


254 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


saying  unto  me,  Make  haste  and  get  thee  quickly  out  of 
Jerusalem  ;  for  they  will  not  receive  thy  testimony  con 

cerning  me . And  he  said  unto  me,  Depart :  for  I 

will  send  thee  far  hence  unto  the  Gentiles }  J  esus  said  to 
His  disciples  :  /  sent  you  to  reap  that  whereon  ye 
bestowed  no  labor :  other  men  labored  and  ye  are 
entered  into  their  labors .2  He  said  to  Peter: 
Whither  I  go  thou  ca?ist  not  follow  me  now,  but 
thou  shalt  folloiv  me  afterwards .3  In  these  words 
He  hinted  at  Peter’s  death  by  crucifixion.  This 
He  predicted  more  plainly  on  a  subsequent  oc¬ 
casion,  and  added,  Follow  me,  evidently  meaning, 
Follow  me  in  the  bold  and  faithful  teaching  of  the 
Gospel,  through  all  thine  appointed  time,  and  then 
come,  like  me,  to  the  cross,  and  by  it  to  thy  heavenly 
crown.4  But  that  announcement  about  himself  did 
not  prevent  Peter  from  curiously  inquiring  just  then 
about  the  destiny  of  John  :  Lord,  and  what  shall  this 
man  do  ?  Jesus  replied  :  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I 
come,  what  is  that  to  thee  ?  Folloiv  thou  me .5  These 
words  of  Jesus  involve  a  claim  of  authority  to  assign 
to  each  minister  His  work,  His  experiences  in  it,  and 
the  time  and  manner  of  its  termination. 

I  17.  JESUS  AS  CHIEF  SHEPHERD  RECOGNIZES  THE 
FIDELITY,  THE  GRACES,  AND  THE  SUFFERINGS 
OF  THE  CHURCHES. 

We  have  seen  how  kindly  He  recognized  the, 
graces  and  works  of  individual  believers.  This  fact 

1  Acts  xxii.  17-21. 

4  John  xxi.  1 8,  19. 


2  John  iv.  38. 


3  John  xiii.  36. 
J  John  xxi.  22 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  2$$ 


appears  again  in  His  words  to  the  Churches,  sent 
through  John  in  Patmos. 

To  the  Ephesian  Church  He  said  :  I  know  thy 
works,  and  thy  labor ,  aiid  thy  patience,  and  how  thou 
canst  not  bear  them  which  are  evil ;  and  thou  hast  tried 
them  zv hie h  say  they  are  apostles  and  are  not,  and  hast 
found  them  liars .  And  hast  borne ,  and  hast  patience, 
and  for  my  name’s  sake  hast  labored  and  hast  not 
fainted } 

The  word  “  works  ”  here  and  in  the  beginning  of 
all  the  seven  letters,  has  the  general  sense  of  “  course 
of  action,”  particularly  as  indicative  of  character. 
“  Patience”  is  constancy  under  persecution  or  under 
suffering  from  enemies.  Being  “  not  able  to  bear  the 
evil  ”  or  wicked  in  the  Church,  shows  a  high  tone  of 
Christian  morals  in  the  Church  as  well  as  a  vigorous 
state  of  discipline.  The  “  false  apostles  ”  were  prob¬ 
ably  like  those  of  whom  Paul  speaks,  who  taught  a 
system  of  doctrines  made  up  of  mingled  Christianity 
and  Judaism.2 

To  the  Church  in  Smyrna  :  I  know  thy  zvorks ,  and 
tribulation,  and  poverty ;  but  thou  art  rich}  They 
were  persecuted,  and  were  poor  in  earthly  possessions, 
but  rich  in  Christian  graces  and  in  the  love  of  Jesus. 

To  the  Church  in  Pergamos  :  And  thou  boldest  fast 
my  name,  and  hast  not  denied  my  faith,  even  in  those 

1  Rev.  ii.  2,  3,  “works,”  Greek,  Iqya  ;  “  labor,”  kotcov,  i.  e .,  toil \ 
rd  >  ear  i some  labor ,  here  in  Christian  duties  and  efforts  ;  “patience,” 
v-o/iovi/v ,  endurance ,  constancy  under  trials,  especially  under  per¬ 
secution.  “Tried,”  -bmoaaae,  tested,  proved. 

8  2  Cor,  xi.  13-15  ;  Gal.  vi.  12,  13. 


3  Rev.  ii.  9, 


256 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


days  wherein  Ant  ip  as  was  my  faith  fill  martyr }  To 
“hold  fast”  Jesus’ “name”  is  to  persevere  in  the 
confession  of  His  name  before  the  world,  and  in  the 
maintenance  of  Gospel  truth.  The  whole  sentence 
is  a  beautiful  description  of  the  “  patience  ”  spoken 
of  in  the  letter  to  the  Ephesian  Church. 

To  the  Church  in  Thyatira  :  I  know  thy  works  and 
charity,  and  service ,  and  faith ,  and  thy  patience,  and 
thy  works,  and  the  last  to  be  more  than  the  first?  The 
repetition  of  “  works  ”  may  express  the  satisfaction 
with  which  Jesus  dwells  upon  the  fruits  of  piety. 

In  reviewing  these  words  of  Jesus,  we  note  first  the 
earnest  interest  which  He  expresses  in  the  Christian 
character  and  conduct  of  the  Churches  ;  and  secondly, 
the  special  things  in  them  which  please  Him.  He 
approves  and  expresses  His  pleasure  at  their  opposi¬ 
tion  to,  and  discipline  of,  immoral  and  wicked  men 
within  the  Church,  and  of  those  who  make  false  pre¬ 
tensions  to  office  and  authority  in  it.  He  is  pleased 
with  the  exhibition  in  the  Churches  of  faith,  love, 
active  Christian  labor,  with  open  confession  of  His 
name,  with  perseverance  in  the  Christian  course 
against  opposition  and  persecution  even  unto  death, 
and  with  increase  in  all  Christian  graces  and  labors. 
And  He  lets  His  mind  be  known  to  His  people,  that 
they  may  be  encouraged  to  do  and  to  bear  still  more, 
and  to  go  forward  in  every  good  word  and  work. 

1 18.  JESUS  SEES  THE  SINS  OF  THE  CHURCHES. 

The  graces  and  faithfulness  of  His  people  do  not 
blind  the  Chief  Shepherd  to  their  defects.  He  notes 

2  Rev.  ii.  19. 


1  Rev.  ii.  13. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH .  257 


even  the  first  decline  from  a  high  state  of  religious 
feeling.  To  the  Ephesian  Church,  after  an  enumera¬ 
tion  of  their  graces  and  works,  He  said  :  Notwithstand¬ 
ing  I  have  somewhat  against  thee ,  because  thou  hast 
left  thy  first  love} 

To  the  Church  in  Sardis  still  stronger:  Thou  hast 
a  name  that  thou  livest  and  art  dead.  .  ...  I  have  not 
found  thy  works  perfect  before  God ?  Thus  Jesus 
reads  the  heart,  and  marks  the  general  course  of  His 
people’s  life. 

Particular  sins  are  noted  by  Him.  To  the  Church 
in  Pergamos  He  directed  John  to  write:  But  I  have 
a  feiv  things  against  thee ,  because  (or,  that,)  thou  hast 
there  them  that  hold  the  doctrine  of  Balaam,  who 
taught  Balak  to  cast  a  stumbling-block  before  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  Israel ,  to  eat  things  sacrificed  unto  idols ,  and  to 
commit  fornication.  So  hast  thou  also  them  that  hold 
the  doctrine  of  the  Nicolaitans ,  which  thing  I  hate? 

The  reference  is  to  the  history  of  Israel  when  in 
the  land  of  Moab.4  The  orgies  carried  on  in  the 
temples  and  at  the  festivals  of  the  heathen  gods  were 
obscene  in  the  highest  degree.  The  first  converts 
from  heathenism  had  themselves  practiced  these 
rites,5  and  saw  them  still  carried  on  by  their  friends 
and  neighbors.  Some  professing  to  be  Christians, 
and  even  some  Christian  teachers,  maintained,  on  the 
score  of  Christian  liberty,  that  it  was  lawful  for  Chris¬ 
tians  to  engage  in  them.  Jesus  compares  such  to 


1  Rev.  ii.  4,  “  because,”  Greek,  on,  that. 
3  Rev.  ii.  14,  15.  4  Num.  xxxi.  16. 


2  Rev.  iii.  1,  2. 

6  1  Cor.  vi.  9-1 1. 


258 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


Balaam  and  to  the  Israelites,  who  were  seduced  by 
his  counsels  into  similar  orgies.  Of  the  Nicolaitans 
as  a  distinct  sect  and  of  their  leader  (the  name  is 
derived  from  a  very  common  Greek  name,  Nicolaus) 
nothing  is  certainly  known,  though  there  is  no  lack 
of  traditions.  They  are  generally  supposed  to  have 
been  not  very  different  from  the  Balaamites  just  de¬ 
scribed.  This  assumption  would  be  favored  by  what 
appears  to  be  the  true  rendering  of  verse  15th  :  “  So 
thou,  too,  hast  there  them  that  hold  the  doctrine  of 
the  Nicolaitans,”  namely,  those  just  mentioned. 
“Thou  too,”  that  is,  as  well  others;  for  instance,  the 
Church  of  Ephesus  (v.  6). 

To  the  Church  in  Thyatira :  Notwithstanding  I  have 
a  few  things  against  thee ,  because  (or,  that)  thou  suffer est 
that  woman  Jezebel ,  which  calleth  herself  a  prophetess , 
to  teach  and  to  seduce  my  servants  to  commit  fornica¬ 
tion ,  and  to  eat  things  sacrificed  unto  idols} 

We  have  here  the  same  evil  as  before,  headed  by 
one  pretending  to  inspiration,  and  defended  doubtless 
in  the  same  way  by  a  perversion  of  the  doctrine  of 
Christian  liberty.  The  leader  is  characterized  by 
the  name  of  another  famous  promoter  of  idolatry  in 
Israel.2 

To  the  Church  in  Laodicea  :  I  know  thy  works  that 
thou  art  7ieither  cold  nor  hot.  I  would  that  thou  wert 
cold  or  hot.  So  then ,  because  thou  art  lukewarm,  and 
neither  cold  nor  hot ,  I  will  spew  thee  out  of  my  mouth  : 
Because  thou  say  est,  I  am  rich  and  increased  in  goods 


1  Rev.  ii.  20. 


2 1  K.  xxi.  25. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  259 

and  have  need  of  nothing ;  and  knozuest  not  that  thou 
art  zvr etched  and  miserable  a7id  poor  and  blind  and 
naked} 

If  we  attach  a  separate  moral  meaning  to  each  of 
the  terms  “  cold  ”  and  “  hot  ” — understand,  for  in¬ 
stance,  “  cold  ”  to  be  said  of  a  state  of  indifference  to 
religion  and  duty,  and  “  hot  ”  of  a  state  of  fervor  in 
Christian  feeling,  then  must  we  also  find  a  medium 
state  of  partial  indifference  and  partial  interest.  In 
that  case  Jesus  would  say  that  this  intermediate  state 
is  more  offensive  to  Him  than  one  of  absolute  indif¬ 
ference  ;  that  He  would  rather  professing  Christians 
should  be  thoroughly  indifferent  in  religion  than  only 
partially  interested.  This  is  now  a  common  under¬ 
standing  of  the  passage.  But  strange  doctrine  it  is  ; 
one  not  to  be  found  elsewhere,  either  in  the  teach¬ 
ings  of  Jesus  or  in  the  Bible  at  large.  It  is,  more¬ 
over,  both  false  and  practically  immoral. 

The  origin  of  it  is  in  the  usage  of  certain  terms  in 
modern  religious  language.  The  words  “  cold  ”  and 
“  lukewarm  ”  are  now  often  employed  to  express  low 
states  of  religious  feeling,  and  this  meaning  has  been 
brought  into  this  passage,  with  the  result  just  men¬ 
tioned. 

Let  us  try  to  get  at  the  true  intention  of  Jesus  by 
a  different  road  :  Verse  17  is  connected  with  verses 
15  and  16,  by  the  conjunction  Because.  See  the 
quotation  above.  This  verse,  then,  contains  a  reason 
for  what  is  said  in  the  two  preceding.  But  this 


1  Rev.  iii.  1 5-17. 


260  CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 

seventeenth  verse  describes  very  plainly,  although 
figuratively,  a  state  of  spiritual  pride,  a  self-satisfied 
spirit,  which,  as  the  Scriptures  abundantly  show,  is 
displeasing  and  abominable  to  God  and  to  Jesus.1 
The  connection  of  verse  seventeen  with  the  preced¬ 
ing  shows  that  it  is  this  self-satisfaction  which  the 
Lord  rebukes  in  these  words.  He  compares  it  to 
lukewarm  water,  which  all  know  is  disgusting  and 
nauseating  to  the  stomach.  Jesus  says,  in  very  plain 
and  homely  phrase,  that  a  Church  thus  filled  with 
spiritual  pride,  looking  upon  itself  with  such  self- 
satisfaction,  is  disgusting  to  Him,  and  that  if  it  con¬ 
tinues  to  cherish  this  spirit  He  will  reject  it  with 
loathing.  He  counsels  the  Church,  therefore,  to 
come  to  Him  with  the  opposite  spirit,  viz.,  a  deep 
sense  of  its  needs,  and  so  furnish  itself  with  pleasing 
and  attractive  spiritual  graces.  The  expression,  neither 
cold  nor  hot,  is,  then,  simply  a  periphrasis  for  “  luke¬ 
warm,”  and  means  negatively  just  what  that  does 
positively.  It  is  not  to  be  explained  as  having  a 
spiritual  sense  in  each  of  its  terms,  separately.  The 
interpretation  thus  derived  is  simple,  adequate,  ful¬ 
fills  all  the  laws  of  thought  and  language,  and  will 
bear  pressing.  The  other,  just  like  the  common  in¬ 
terpretation  of  Mat.  vii.  6 — Give  not  that  which  is 
holy  unto  the  dogs,  etc. — teaches,  if  pressed,  what  is 
unbiblical  and  unchristian.  We  have,  then,  in  these 
words  of  Jesus  to  the  Laodicean  Church,  a  sharp  re¬ 
buke  of  its  spiritual  pride  and  consequent  carnal 
security. 


1  Isa.  lxv.  5  ;  Mat.  xxiii.  12;  Luke  xviii.  14. 


RELATIONS  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH .  26 1 


1 19.  JESUS  ADMONISHES  GUILTY  CHURCHES  AND 
CHURCH-MEMBERS  ;  COUNSELS,  ENCOURAGES, 
AND  INVITES  THEM  TO  HIS  LOVE  AND  GRACIOUS 
GIFTS. 

After  administering  to  the  Church  in  Laodicea  the 
earnest  admonition  we  have  just  been  studying,  lest 
they  should  be  disheartened,  Jesus  hastened  to  re¬ 
assure  them  by  words  of  mercy:  As  many  as  I  love  I 

rebuke  and  chasten . I  counsel  thee  to  buy  of  me 

gold  tried  in  the  fire,  that  thou  mayest  be  rich :  and 
white  raiment,  that  thou  mayest  be  clothed  and  that  the 
shame  of  thy  nakedness  do  not  appear  /  and  anoint  thine 
eyes  with  eye-salve ,  that  thou  mayest  see}  And  then 
He  represented  Himself  as  desiring  and  patiently 
waiting  for  their  love.  He  did  not  wait  for  them  to 
come  to  Him  :  He  comes  to  them  :  Behold,  I  stand  at 
the  door  and  knock :  if  any  man  hear  my  voice,  and 
open  the  door,  I  zvill  come  in  to  him  and  will  sup  with 
him,  and  he  with  me .2  This  all-enduring,  forgiving, 
inviting  love  on  the  part  of  Jesus  is  conceived  in  the 
highest  style  of  grace  found  in  the  Bible.  It  is  just 
like  that  in  the  story  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  and  in  that 
of  the  Lost  Sheep,  and  utterly  without  parallel  in  the 
highest  conceptions  of  human  genius ;  the  truth  is,  it 
is  not  a  human  ideal,  it  is  a  divine  reality. 

The  admonitions  which  Jesus  gives  to  some  of  His 
followers  He  intends  for  all :  What  I  say  unto  you  1 
say  unto  all :  Watch.3 


1  Rev.  iii.  18. 


2  Rev.  iii.  20. 


3  Mark  xiii.  37. 


262 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS . 


J20.  JESUS  THREATENS  PUNISHMENT  TO  EIEEDLESS 
AND  IMPENITENT  CHURCHES  AND  CHURCH- 
MEMBERS. 

To  the  Church  in  Thyatira  He  said  :  /  will  give 
unto  every  one  of  yon  according  to  your  works}  To  the 
Pergamean  Church  after  the  mention  of  their  sins : 
These  things  saith  he  that  hath  the  sharp  sword  with 

tzvo  edges . Repent ,  or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee 

quickly  and  will  fight  against  thee  with  the  sword  of 
my  mouth }  The  sword  of  His  mouth  is  a  sharp 
sword  with  two  edges,3  and  denotes  His  sentence  of 
condemnation  for  their  sins,  and  His  orders  issued  for 
their  punishment. 

To  the  Church  in  Sardis  He  said:  If  therefore ,  thou 
shall  not  watch,  I  will  come  on  thee  as  a  thief ,  and  thou 
shall  not  know  what  hour  I  will  come  upon  thee } 

The  threat  to  the  Laodiceans  is ,  I  will  spezv  thee  out 
of  my  mouth}  To  the  Ephesian  Church  He  threat¬ 
ened  extinction  :  Repent ,  and  do  the  first  works ,  or  else 
I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly ,  and  will  remove  thy 
candlestick  out  of  his  place ,  except  thou  repent }  The 
candlestick  is  the  Church  : 7  to  remove  it  is  to  destroy 
the  Church. 

These  threats  show  that  the  King  of  the  Church 
will  not  tolerate  sin  in  the  Churches  and  their  mem¬ 
bers.  They  show,  too,  that  He  has  both  the  author¬ 
ity  and  the  power  to  punish,  and  uses  them  when 
necessary,  even  to  a  Church’s  extinction. 

'Rev.  ii.  23.  2  Rev.  ii.  12,  16.  s  Rev.  i.  16. 

4  Rev.  iii.  3.  5  Rev.  iii.  16  ;  See  pp,  259,  260.  6  Rev.  ii.  5. 

7  Ch.  i.  20. 


RELA  T1  ON S  OF  JESUS  TO  THE  CHURCH.  2 63 


12 1.  JESUS  ADMINISTERS  PROVIDENCE  ALSO  IN  BE¬ 
HALF  OF  HIS  CHURCHES. 

To  the  Philadelphian  Church  He  said  :  'These  things 
saith  .  ...  he  that  openeth  and  no  man  shutteth ,  and 
shutteth  and  no  man  openeth.  .  .  .  Behold,  I  have  set 
before  thee  an  open  door ,  and  no  man  can  shut  it }  An 
“  open  door  ”  is  opportunity  to  enter  upon  and  fol¬ 
low  a  desired  career  unhindered  by  opposition.  Jesus 
can  open  doors  for  His  churches  and  people,  and  by 
His  Providence  prevent  successful  opposition  to  them. 
He  is  Head  over  all  things  for  the  Church.1 2  Jesus 
said  to  the  Church  of  Philadelphia :  Behold,  I  will 
make  them  of  the  synagogue  of  Satan  which  say  they 
are  Jews  and  are  not,  but  do  lie ;  behold,  I  will  make 
them  to  come  and  worship  before  thy  feet,  and  to  know 

that  I  have  loved  thee . Because  thou  hast  kept 

the  word  of  my  patience  I  also  will  keep  thee  from  the 
hour  of  temptation  which  shall  come  upon  all  the  world 
to  try  them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth?  Again,  to  the 
Church  at  Thyatira  :  He  that  over cometh,  and  keepeth 
my  works  unto  the  end,  to  him  will  I  give  power  over 
the  nations .4 

These  letters  to  the  Churches  present  a  very  clear 
and  vivid  view  of  Jesus  acting  as  Head  of  the  Church. 
They  show  what  His  will  is  in  regard  to  the  Chris¬ 
tian  spirit,  and  activity  of  the  Churches  ;  they  show 
His  jealousy  in  regard  to  the  Churches’  losing  their 
first  love,  their  lapsing  into  errors,  into  spiritual 


1  Rev.  iii.  7,  8. 

2  Rev.  iii.  9,  10. 


2  Eph.  i.  22. 
4  Rev.  ii.  26. 


264  CHRIST  HIS  0 WN  WITNESS. 

pride,  and  slothfulness  ;  they  show  His  joy  in  the 
Christian  graces  of  the  Churches,  in  their  activity, 
their  patience  under  persecution,  their  fidelity  to 
Him  ;  and  they  reveal  His  tender  love  to  them, 
His  forbearance  toward  them,  as  well  as  His  watch¬ 
ful  and  efficient  Providential  care  over  them.  The 
whole  view  of  Him  which  the  letters  to  the  seven 
Churches  present,  is  in  entire  keeping  with  His  char¬ 
acter  and  attributes  already  established  by  our 
studies. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


JESUS’  RELATIONS  TO  ALL  MEN  AS  THEIR  JUDGE. 

122.  HE  WILL  JUDGE  MEN. 

Jesus  says  of  the  Father:  And  he  hath  given  him 
(the  Son)  authority  to  execute  judgment  also ,  because 
he  is  the  Son  of  man  ;  that  is,  because  He  is  Messiah.1 

We  learn  from  these  words  that  the  judgment  of 
men  is  assigned  to  Jesus  as  Messiah.  To  judge  His 
moral  creatures  is  properly  the  prerogative  of  God. 
Both  the  Father  and  the  Son  share  in  this  preroga¬ 
tive.2  But  since  the  Son  has  assumed  the  office  of 
Messiah,  the  Father  has  assigned  to  Him  the  whole 
function  of  the  judgment  of  men.  So  Jesus  said  :  For 
the  Father  judgeth  no  man ,  but  hath  committed  all 
judgment  unto  the  Son? 

It  is  manifestly  appropriate  that  the  same  Being 
who  provided  and  offered  salvation  to  men  should 
also  decide  and  act  upon  their  acceptance  or  rejec¬ 
tion  of  His  grace.  This  is  the  proper  consummation 
of  His  functions  as  Messiah  in  relation  to  men.  It  is 


Hohn  v.  27.  “Son  of  man,”  Greek,  vloq  uvdguirov.  The 
article  is  wanting  which  is  usually  present.  See  §  22,  pp.  41,  42. 
Yet  probably  the  meaning  is  not  different,  as  the  words  seem 
to  have  here  the  force  of  a  proper  name. 

2  See  §  69,  p.  1 50.  3  John  v.  22. 

(265) 


1 2 


266 


CHRIST  HIS  0 IV N  WITNESS. 


an  honor  due  to  His  Mediatorial  character.  It  is 
plain,  too,  that  as  Messiah  He  is  peculiarly  fitted  for 
the  office  of  Judge  of  men.  The  Messiah  certainly 
appreciates  both  the  sin  and  guilt  of  men,  and  the 
honor  due  to  God  and  His  law.  He  is  also  certainly 
concerned  to  employ  in  men’s  behalf  the  provisions 
of  grace  which  He  has  made,  so  far  as  may  be,  and 
He  will  recognize,  with  all  readiness,  the  repentance 
and  faith  of  the  sinner.  The  interests,  therefore,  of 
God,  of  man,  of  justice,  and  of  mercy,  are  all  secured 
by  Jesus’  being  the  Judge  of  men. 

Jesus  does  indeed  say:  For  God  sent  not  his  Son 
into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world ; 1  and :  I  judge 
him  (the  unbeliever)  not,  for  I  came  not  to  judge  the 
world,  but  to  save  the  world ; 2  and  again  :  Ye  judge 
after  the  flesh  :  I  judge  no  man ?  But  the  meaning  of 
these  words  plainly  is,  To  judge  and  condemn  men 
was  not  His  direct,  primary  object  in  coming:  that 
was  to  save  men.  Judging  was  not  His  present 
work,  while  in  the  world.  The  form  of  the  words  is 
like  that  which  He  used  in  reply  to  the  two  disciples 
who  wanted  permission  to  bring  down  fire  from 
heaven  on  certain  Samaritans :  The  Son  of  man  is  not 
come  to  destroy  men' s  lives,  but  to  save  them}  While 
all  this  is  true,  the  actual  result  of  His  coming  may 
be,  in  some  cases,  as  we  have  seen,  the  condemnation 
of  men.5  After  saying  as  above  quoted,  “  I  judge 
him  not,"  i.  e.,  the  unbeliever,  He  added  :  The  word 


1  John  iii.  17. 
4  Luke  ix.  56. 


2  John  xii.  47. 


3  John  viii.  15, 
r§  I9>  P-  28. 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE.  .  2 67 


that  I  have  spoken,  the  same  shall  judge  him  in  the  last 
day .  Jesus’  word  would  rise  up  in  the  judgment 
like  the  Queen  of  the  South,  like  the  men  of  Nine- 
veh,  against  the  men  of  that  generation  and  condemn 
them.  And  just  so,  after  saying,  I  judge  no  man ,  He 
added,  And  yet  if  I  judge,  my  judgment  is  just .  There 
is,  then,  in  these  words  of  Jesus,  no  denial,  but  rather 
an  affirmation  of  His  judicial  office. 

The  judicial  functions  of  Jesus  consist  of  two  parts  : 
The  first  is  that  which  He  is  perpetually  exercising 
over  those  who  hear  His  Gospel  with  reference  to 
their  acceptance  or  rejection  of  it.  This  part  is  em¬ 
braced,  though  not  exclusively  intended,  in  His 
words :  As  I  hear  I  judge,  and  my  judgment  is just : 1  and 
in  the  words  :  For  judgment  I  am  come  into  this  world , 
that  they  which  see  not  might  see,  and  that  they  which 
see  might  be  made  blind'}  We  have  already  seen  that 
He  deals  at  the  time  judicially  with  those  who  reject 
His  offers  of  grace.3  But  this  action  is  preliminary, 
and,  if  the  sinner  repents,  is  reversible.  Otherwise  it 
is  an  anticipation  of  the  final  condemnation  which 
Jesus  will  pronounce  at  the  last  judgment,  presiding 
at  which  is  the  other  part  of  His  judicial  work. 

123.  JESUS  WILL  COME  ONE  DAY  TO  JUDGE  THE 

WORLD. 

We  have  His  own  prediction  :  Then  shall  appear 
the  sign  of  the  Son  of  man  in  heaven  ;  and  then  shall  all 
the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn,  and  they  shall  sec  the  So?i 
of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power  and 

2  John  ix.  39. 


1  John  v.  30. 


3  See  §  19,  p.  28. 


268- 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


great  glory ?  That  Jesus  was  here  speaking  of  His 
final  coming  to  judge  the  world  is  evident  from  the 
very  terms  which  He  used.  Especially  is  it  evident 
from  the  next  verse,  which  will  be  considered  in  the 
next  section. 

124.  JESUS  WILL  COME  SUDDENLY  TO  JUDGMENT. 

As  the  lightning  cometh  out  of  the  east  and  shineth 
even  unto  the  west,  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son 
of  man  be?  As  it  was  in  the  days  of  Noah,  so  shall  it 
be  also  in  the  days  of  the  Son  of  man.  They  did  eat,  they 
drank ,  they  married  wives,  they  were  given  in  marriage, 
until  the  day  that  Noah  entered  into  the  ark,  and  the 
flood  came,  and  destroyed  them  all.  Likewise  also  as 
it  zv as  in  the  days  of  Lot :  they  did  eat,  they  drank, 
they  bought,  they  sold,  they  planted ,  they  builded ;  But 
the  same  day  that  Lot  went  out  of  Sodom  it  ramed  fire 
and  brimstone  from  heaven,  and  destroyed  them  all. 
Even  thus  shall  it  be  in  the  day  when  the  Son  of  man 
is  revealed?  Just  so  suddenly  and  unexpectedly,  in 
the  midst  of  the  activities  of  the  world’s  life,  shall 
Jesus’  final  coming  break  upon  men.  This  applies 
essentially  also  to  all  the  generations  of  men  previous 
to  that  one  which  shall  be  found  living  at  the  dawn 
of  the  last  day;  because  as  death  leaves  us,  so  will 
judgment  find  us.  There  is,  therefore,  for  all  men 

1  Mat.  xxiv.  30  ;  Mark  xiii.  26  ;  Luke  xxi.  27.  See  in  reference 
to  all  these  passages,  explained  of  the  judgment  in  this  and  the 
following  Section,  the  remarks  in  §  127,  p.  279. 

2  Mat.  xxiv.  27  ;  Luke  xvii.  24. 

3  Luke  xvii.  26-30 ;  Mat.  xxiv.  37,  38. 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE .  2 6~ 


the  closest  connection  between  their  death  and  the 
final  judgment,  whatever  space  of  time  may  inter¬ 
vene.  This  fact  gives  us  a  clue  to  the  right  under¬ 
standing  of  other  words  of  Jesus  which  relate  to  this 
important  subject. 

125.  THE  TIME  OF  JESUS’  FINAL  COMING  IS  UN¬ 
KNOWN  TO  MEN. 

Of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man  (no  one),  no , 
not  the  angels  in  heaven ,  but  my  Father  only.  Mark 
inserts,  neither  the  Son.  See  the  discussion  on  this 
point  in  a  former  chapter.1  Again,  we  find  :  Ye  know 
not  what  hour  your  Lord  doth  come.  In  such  an  hour  as 
ye  think  not  the  Son  of  man  cometh?  At  midnight 
there  zuas  a  cry  made,  Behold,  the  bridegroom  cometh ? 
At  midnight,  that  is,  when  men  least  expect  it  and 
are  apt  to  be  least  prepared.  Some  words  of  Jesus 
indeed  appear  to  speak  of  the  time  with  a  degree  of 
definiteness.  In  the  parable  of  the  pounds,  He  puts 
it :  A fter  a  long  time  the  Lord  of  those  servants  com¬ 
eth  and  reckoneth  with  them }  But  these  words  may 
be  designed  simply  to  make  up  the  verisimilitude,  to 
indicate  that  men  have  a  season  for  showing  their 
obedience  or  neglect.  It  indicates  men’s  time  of 
life.  Again,  Jesus  said:  Behold,  I  come  quickly. 
Surely  I  come  quickly?  These  words,  so  far  as  they 
apply  to  individuals,  are  words  of  encouragement  and 

JMat.  xxiv.  36  ;  Mark  xiii.  32.  See  §  48,  p.  105. 

2  Mat.  xxiv.  42,  44. *  3 4  Mat.  xxv.  6. 

4  Mat.  xxv.  19.  6  Rev.  xxii.  7,  12,  20. 


27  o 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


of  warning,  based  on  the  fact  before  stated,  that  to 
each  one  death  and  the  judgment  are  virtually  in 
immediate  connection  ;  and,  therefore,  to  prepare  for 
one  is  to  be  ready  for  the  other.  Death  is  always 
near  to  men  ;  and  so  the  judgment  is  virtually  near 
to  every  man. 

126.  JESUS  TELLS  MEN  TO  BE  READY  FOR  HIS  COM¬ 
ING,  AND  HOW  THEY  MAY  BE  READY. 

Therefore  be  ye  also  ready ;  for  in  such  an  hour  as 
ye  think  not  the  Son  of  man  cometh}  Behold ,  I  come  as 
a  thief.  Blessed  is  he  that  watcheth ,  and  keepeth  his 
garments ,  lest  he  walk  naked  and  they  see  his  shame. la 
Watch ,  therefore ;  for  ye  know  not  what  hour  your 
Lord  doth  come.1  2 '  What  I  say  unto  you  I  say  unto  all , 
Watch } 

These  warnings  evidently  apply  to  all  of  every  age, 
and  not  only  to  those  who  shall  be  alive  at  the  com¬ 
ing  of  the  Lord.  The  explanation  has  been  given 
already :  that  death  brings  us  all  virtually  into  imme¬ 
diate  connection  with  the  judgment.  We  are  not, 
however,  to  watch  idly,  but  to  use  well  our  time,  our 
powers,  and  opportunities  as  faithful  servants.  Jesus 
taught  this  by  a  parable :  A  certain  nobleman  went 
into  a  far  country  to  receive  for  himself  a  kingdom  and 
to  return.  A  nd  he  called  his  ten  servants ,  and  delivered 
them  ten  pounds ,  and  said  unto  them,  Occupy  till  I 
come}  Having  described  in  a  parable  the  servant 


1  Mat.  xxiv.  44. 

2  Mat.  xxiv.  42. 

4  Luke  xix.  12,  13  ;  Mat.  xxv.  14. 


la  Rev.  xvi.  15. 
3  Mark  xiii.  37. 


JESUS1  EE  LA  T ION'S  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE.  27 1 

whom  his  Lord  had  made  ruler  over  his  household  to 
give  them  their  meat  in  due  season,  He  added: 
Blessed  is  that  servant,  whom  his  Lord,  when  he  cometh , 
shall  find  so  doing,1  that  is,  fulfilling  actively  his  as¬ 
signed  duties.  He  expressed  this  also  in  another 
word  :  Hold  fast  till  I  come}  To  those  who  heed 
these  admonitions  death  and  judgment  will  be  bless¬ 
ings. 

127.  REMARKS  ON  THE  WORDS  OF  JESUS  CITED  IN 
THE  FIVE  PRECEDING  SECTIONS  AS  BEARING  ON 
HIS  COMING  TO  JUDGE  THE  WORLD. 

There  is  great  difficulty  in  the  interpretation  of 
many  of  the  sayings  of  Jesus  cited  in  these  sections, 
arising  from  the  fact  that  at  the  same  time  that  He 
spoke  of  the  final  judgment  He  said  much  that  evi¬ 
dently  applies  to  judgments  which  were  soon  to 
come  upon  the  Jewish  people,  their  city,  and  temple. 
Moreover,  after  one  of  the  predictions  which  taken 
by  itself  would  hardly  be  understood  otherwise  than 
as  referring  to  the  last  day,  we  find  added  :  Verily  1 
say  unto  you ,  this  generation  shall  not  pass  till  all  these 
things  be  fulfilled }  as  if  all  He  had  said  related  only 
to  the  judgments  on  Jerusalem.  Let  the  reader  go 
afresh  and  carefully  through  the  twenty-fourth  chap¬ 
ter  of  Matthew,  the  thirteenth  of  Mark,  and  the 
twenty-first  of  Luke,  and  he  will  see  the  facts,  appre¬ 
ciate  the  difficulties,  and  be  ready  to  judge  of  the 


1  Mat.  xxiv.  46  ;  Luke  xii.  43. 

3  Mat.  xxiv.  34 ;  Mark  xiii.  30  ;  Luke  xxi.  32. 


2  Rev.  ii.  25. 


272 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


worth  of  what  is  offered  below,  looking  toward  a 
solution. 

Events  which  are  widely  separated  in  time,  and 
which  may  appear  to  us  to  be  independent  of  each 
other,  are  seen  by  God  to  be  closely  united,  as  differ¬ 
ent  items  in  a  long  series,  and  as  parts  of  a  great 
whole  in  His  moral  administration  of  the  world. 
The  last  judgment  especially,  stands  in  very  close 
connection  with  every  preceding  measure  of  His 
moral  government  in  reference  to  each  individual 
man.  Hence,  in  speaking  of  any  divine  act  of  retri¬ 
bution  in  time,  God  views  it  not  as  isolated,  but  as 
it  stands  in  its  ultimate  connections  and  consequences  : 
and  especially,  if  that  act  or  dispensation  of  His 
Providence  finishes  up  a  course  of  His  moral  dealings 
with  an  individual  or  a  people.  I  need  refer  for  illus¬ 
tration  only  to  the  words  of  Jesus  in  the  close  of  the 
twenty-third  chapter  of  Matthew,  verses  29-38.  Such 
a  close  of  a  course  of  dealings  with  a  people,  as  that 
with  the  Jewish  people  in  the  time  of  Christ,  stands 
in  very  close  union  with  the  final  judgment  of  the 
same  persons,  and  in  the  mind  of  God  makes  with 
the  judgment  one  whole,  the  interval  of  time  being 
no  factor  in  the  moral  history.  He  may,  therefore, 
speak  at  the  same  time  of  both  the  temporal  judg¬ 
ment  and  the  final  judgment,  as  they  are  essentially 
one.  Again,  acts  or  dispensations  of  Providence  be¬ 
longing  to  His  moral  government  are,  in  Scripture 
language,  called  “  visitations,”  or  “  comings,”  of  God  ; 
and  so  those  of  them  which,  as  we  have  seen,  are  so 
closely  united  together,  may,  though  widely  separated 


JESUS’  RELATION'S  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE.  273 


in  time,  be  spoken  of  together  as  one  coming.  The 
death  of  individual  men,  and  the  ending  of  the  day 
of  grace  of  an  individual,  or  of  a  generation,  are 
events  very  closely  connected  with  the  final  destiny 
of  the  same  persons  as  fixed  at  the  last  judgment. 
The  Jewish  people,  that  is  the  body  of  them,  sealed 
their  doom  in  the  time  of  Christ  by  their  rejection  of 
Him  ;  and  the  judgments  that  came  upon  them, 
therefore,  in  the  destruction  of  their  temple,  city,  anc. 
national  organization,  were  all  so  many  elements  of 
the  doom  which  is  to  be  consummated  at  the  judg¬ 
ment  day.  God  sees  the  unity  in  events,  which  is, 
indeed,  of  His  own  ordaining,  and  He  speaks  in  ac¬ 
cordance  with  it.  This  is  the  reason  why  in  these 
prophetic  words  of  Christ,  the  temporal  judgments 
which  were  to  come  upon  that  generation  and 
the  destruction  which  was  to  be  pronounced  and 
brought  upon  them  at  the  last  day  are  commingled. 
Many  of  Jesus’  words  in  these  chapters  have,  accord¬ 
ingly,  both  a  -lower  application  to  the  judgments  in 
time  and  also  a  higher  and  fuller  one  to  those  which 
shall  take  place  at  time’s  end.  As  the  two  objects  of 
reference  are  really  one,  the  words  can  not  be  said  to 
be  given  a  double  meaning,  but  with  one  meaning  to 
cover  both  parts  of  the  judgment. 

The  prophecies  of  Christ  in  this  simultaneous 
reference  to  lower  and  higher,  nearer  and  ultimate 
events,  are  not  singular,  but  have  the  common  charac¬ 
teristic  of  all  prophecies.  That  system  of  interpreta¬ 
tion  which  is  based  on  this  view  of  the  relations  of 
events  in  God’s  administration  of  the  world  is  justi- 


274 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


fied  by  the  structure  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament 
prophecies,  by  the  inspired  interpretations  of  Old 
Testament  prophecies  found  in  the  New,  and  by  His¬ 
tory,  which  is  the  final  and  clear  expounder  of  ail 
prophecy. 

I  need  scarcely  remind  the  reader  how  closely  this 
manifold  character  of  prophecy  coincides  with  the 
whole  manner  of  thought  and  speech  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.  We  have  had  occasion  already  to  speak  of 
His  habits  of  thought,  His  use  of  parables,  and  how 
He  intermingled  lower  and  higher  applications,  con¬ 
stantly  passing  from  one  to  the  other.1  Nothing 
therefore  could  be  more  natural  to  Him  than  to 
speak  in  the  way  we  have  understood  and  explained 
His  words  in  these  predictions  of  the  final  judgment. 
And  especially  when  we  remember  that  from  the 
point  of  view  from  which  He  looks  at  events,  He  sees 
them  clearly  in  all  their  actual  moral  relations,  as 
God  sees  them,  we  must  admit  that  this  method  of 
interpreting  His  words  is  not  forced  or  violent,  but 
in  the  highest  degree  suitable  and  even  necessary  if 
we  would  do  justice  to  the  broad  sweep  of  His 
thought. 

Let  us  now  set  in  connection  the  various  sayings  of 
Jesus  in  which  He  spoke  of  His  a  coming  ;  ”  that  we 
may  see  both  the  single  fundamental  idea  in  His  use 
of  the  term,  and  the  variety  of  applications  which  He 
made  of  it;  only  premising  that  His  use  is  precisely 
that  found  throughout  the  Scriptures  of  both  Testa- 


1  See  §  81,  p.  173. 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE.  2/5 


ments.  Jesus  “came”  when  He  appeared  in  the  world  : 
To  this  e?id  was  I  born ,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into 
the  world}  But,  besides  this  literal  personal  coming, 
there  are  providential  “visitations  ”  expressed  by  the 
same  word.  He  comes  by  His  Spirit  :  I  will  not  leave 
you  comfortless ;  I  will  come  to  you.  He  comes  in 
grace  to  the  penitent  :  If  any  man  hear  my  voice  ana l 
open  the  door ,  I  will  come  in  to  him?  He  comes  by 
spiritual  manifestation  and  indwelling  :  If  a  man  love 
me  he  will  keep  my  words ,  and  my  Father  will  love  him, 
and  we  will  come  unto  him ,  and  make  our  abode  with 
him ?  He  comes  in  judgment,  even  now:  Remember , 
therefore ,  from  whence  thou  art  fallen ,  and  repent, 
.  ...  or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly  and  re¬ 
move  thy  candlestick  out  of  his  place?  By  the  same 
word  He  spoke  of  His  final  coming  to  judgment  : 
When  he  cometh  in  the  glory  of  his  Father  with  the 
holy  angels?  And  when  answering  the  high  priest 
under  oath  :  Hereafter  shall  ye  see  the  Son  of  man  sit¬ 
ting  on  the  right  hand  of  power  and  coming  in  the 
clouds  of  heaven? 

With  this  use  of  the  term  so  familiar  to  Him  in 
both  lower  and  higher  applications,  and  with  the 
clearest  view  of  the  unity  of  the  lower  and  the 
higher  comings,  it  was,  we  say,  perfectly  natural  for 
Jesus  to  speak  so  as  to  present  them  in  that  unity. 
We  do  right,  then,  when  we  refer  His  pregnant 
words  to  both  present  and  remote  events,  the  lower 

1  John  xviii.  37.  2  John  xiv.  18.  3  Rev.  iii.  20. 

4  John  xiv.  23.  5  Rev.  ii.  5.  6  Mark  viii.  3S. 

7  Mat.  xxvi.  64 ;  Mark  xiv.  62. 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


2  76 

reference  fitting  their  significance  in  outline  and 
form,  the  higher  exhausting  all  their  fullness. 

128.  JESUS  WILL  RAISE  THE  DEAD. 

We  hear  Him  saying:  The  hour  is  coming  in  the 
which  all  that  are  in  the  graves  shall  hear  his  voice, 
and  shall  come  forth  :  they  that  have  done  good  u?ito  the 
resurrection  of  life,  and  they  that  have  done  evil  unto 
the  resurrection  of  damnation} 

His  “  voice  ”  is  spoken  of  to  represent  to  us  His 
giving  the  order  for  the  resurrection ;  its  being 
“  heard  ”  expresses  the  power  of  that  order  and  its 
fulfillment.  The  time  is  future  :  Jesus  spoke,  there¬ 
fore,  not  as  before2  of  a  spiritual  resurrection,  nor  of 
His  miraculous  raising  of  some  dead  one  to  life  while 
on  the  earth.  The  resurrection  here  referred  to  will 
be,  He  says,  both  of  the  righteous  and  the  wicked  ;  and 
it  will  take  place  in  immediate  connection  with  their 
final  trial  and  with  retribution  for  their  deeds  in  life. 

Speaking  distinctively  of  believers  Jesus  said  :  And 
this  is  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  that  every  07ie 
which  seeth  the  Son  and  helieveth  on  him  may  have 
everlasting  life ;  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last 
day }  Jesus  said  to  Martha:  I  am  the  Resurrection 
and  the  Life :  he  that  believeth  on  me,  though  he  zvere 
dead,  yet  shall  he  live;  and  whosoever  liveth  and  be¬ 
lieveth  in  me  shall  never  die }  By  these  words  Jesus 
describes  Himself  as  the  source  of  the  resurrection, 

1  John  v.  28,  29. 

3  John  vi.  40,  44,  54. 


2  In  verse  25. 
4  John  xi.  25. 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE.  277 


and  of  that  new  and  blessed  life  of  the  redeemed 
which  shall  follow,  and  shall  itself  have  no  end. 

129.  JESUS  WILL  GATHER  ALL  MEN  BEFORE  HIM 

FOR  JUDGMENT. 

They  (i.  e .,  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth)  shall  see  the 
Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power 
and  great  glory.  And  he  shall  send  his  angels  with  a 
great  sound  of  a  trumpet,  and  they  shall  gather  to¬ 
gether  his  elect  from  the  four  winds}  In  the  inter¬ 
pretation  of  the  parable  of  the  wheat  and  the  tares  : 
The  Son  of  man  shall  send  forth  his  angels  and  they 
shall  gather  out  of  his  kingdom  all  things  that  offend 
and  them  which  do  iniquity?  In  the  parable  of  the 
pounds  :  He  commanded  these  servants  to  be  called  unto 
him,  to  whom  he  had  given  the  money,  that  he  might 
know  how  much  every  man  had  gained  by  trading. 
Then  came  the  first ;  ....  and  the  second  came ,  .  .  .  . 
and  another  came?  So  in  the  parable  of  the  talents  : 
The  Lord  of  those  servants  cometh  and  reckoneth  with 
them.  A  nd  so  he  that  had  received  five  talents  came. 
.  .  .  .  Lie  also  that  had  received  tivo  talents  came,  .... 
Then  he  which  had  received  the  one  talent  came ?  Thus 
Jesus  represents  men  as  coming  individually  before 
Him  for  trial  at  the  final  judgment. 

In  the  parable  of  the  virgins  Jesus  represents  the 
gathering  of  His  professing  people  in  the  words:  At 
midnight  there  was  a  cry  made,  Behold,  the  bridegroom 
cometh  :  go  ye  out  to  meet  him? 

1  Mat.  xxiv.  30,  31  ;  Mark  xiii.  26,  27. 1  2  Mat.  xiii.  40,  41. 

s  Luke  xix.  15-19.  4  Mat.  xxv.  19-24.  5  Mat.  xxv.  1-6. 


2  78 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


And  then  without  a  parable,  in  full  and  plain  terms, 
Jesus  said:  When  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his 
glory ,  and  all  the  holy  angels  with  him ,  then  shall  he 
sit  tip  on  the  throne  of  his  glory.  And  before  him  shall 
be  gathered  all  nations } 

By  these  words  Jesus  declares  that  He  will  be  the 
Judge  at  the  final  and  universal  judgment  of  men. 
All  nations,  of  every  age  and  religious  belief,  shall 
appear  at  His  judgment  bar. 

The  lofty  tone  maintained  throughout  these  dec¬ 
larations,  express  fitly  the  majesty  and  serene  assur¬ 
ance  of  Him  who  uttered  them.  It  is  in  perfect 
keeping  with  His  real  possession  of  all  the  attributes 
and  authority  necessary  for  their  fulfillment.  The 
same  characteristic  tone  appears  in  all  that  Jesus  said 
on  these  subjects,  and  is  inconceivable  and  incredible 
except  on  the  admission  of  His  veracity. 

130.  JESUS  WILL  JUDGE  ALL  MEN  ASSEMBLED  BE¬ 
FORE  HIM. 

He  will  hear  and  decide  upon  the  case  of  each  in¬ 
dividual,  pronounce  sentence,  and  execute  it. 

Jesus  described  at  different  times  and  by  various 
representations  the  proceedings  of  the  last  judgment. 
Let  us  study  the  different  passages  separately. 

Whosoever ,  therefore,  shall  confess  me  before  men ,  hi  a 
will  I  confess  also  before  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
But  whosoever  shall  deny  me  before  men,  him  will  I  also 
deny  before  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  In  Luke  it 


1  Mat.  xxv.  31.  "All  nations,”  Greek,  7 rclvra  Wvi /. 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE.  279 


is,  Before  the  angels  of  God }  That  this  confession 
and  denial  on  the  part  of  Jesus  will  take  place  at  the 
final  judgment,  we  learn  from  Mark :  Whosoever ,  there¬ 
fore,  shall  be  ashamed  of  me  and  of  my  words,  in  this 
adulterous  and  sinful  generation,  of  him  also  shall  the 
Son  of  man  be  ashamed  when  he  cometh  in  the  glory  of 
his  Father  with  the  holy  angels .1 2 

In  these  words  Jesus  makes  prominent  one  single 
point  in  the  former  conduct  of  those  appearing  for 
judgment,  namely,  their  “  denial  ”  or  their  open 
“  confession  ”  of  Christ  before  men.  Not  that  other 
points  of  character  and  life  will  be  ignored.  This  is 
plain  enough  from  other  declarations.  But,  as  else¬ 
where  others,  so  here  this  point  is  taken  as  an  index  of 
character,  as  a  proof  or  disproof  of  the  fact  of  true  disci- 
pleship.  The  same  remark  will  explain  other  sayings 
of  Jesus  which  refer  to  the  judgment,  as  the  following: 

Whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine  and  doeth 
them,  I  will  liken  him  unto  a  wise  man  which  built  his 
house  upon  a  rock.  And  the  rain  descended ,  and  the 
floods  ca7ne ,  and  the  winds  blew,  and  beat  upon  that 
house,  and  it  fell  not ;  for  it  was  founded  upon  a  rock. 
And  every  one  that  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine  and 
doeth  them  not  shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish  ma7i 
which  built  his  house  upon  the  sand.  And  the  ram 
descended,  and,  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and 
beat  upon  that  house,  a7id  it  fell ;  a7id  great  was  the 
fall  of  it 3 

1  Mat.  x.  32,  33  ;  Luke  xii.  8,  9. 

*  Mark  viii.  38  ;  Luke  ix.  26. 

a  Mat.  vii.  24-27  ;  Luke  vi.  47-49. 


2S0 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


“  The  rain,”  “  the  floods,”  and  “  the  wind  ”  of  the 
parable  are  whatever  go  to  try  and  test  the  moral 
foundation,  the  faith  and  religious  principle  of  a  man. 
They  include,  of  course,  the  investigations  of  the 
final  judgment.  They  shall  stand  these  tests, 
and  this  final  trial,  who  have  “  done  ”  Jesus’  say¬ 
ings  ;  they  shall  fail  in  it  who  have  not  done  them. 
H  e  will  make  obedience  to  His  commands  the  test 
of  character  at  the  last  judgment. 

In  His  interpretation  of  the  parable  of  the  tares 
Jesus  says:  So  shall  it  be  in  the  e?id  of  this  world. 
The  Son  of  man  shall  se7id  forth  his  angels,  and  they 
shall  gather  out  of  his  kingdom  all  things  that  offend 
and  them  which  do  iniquity ,  and  shall  cast  them  mto  a 
furnace  of  fire  ;  there  shall  be  wailing  and  gnashing  of 
teeth.  Then  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as  the  sun 
in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father } 

Here  Jesus  describes  the  characters  of  those  judged, 
by  the  terms  “  righteous  ”  and  “  things  that  offend  ” 
(i.  e.,  hinder  men  from  going  aright),  and  “  those  that 
do  iniquity.”  One’s  own  doing  and  one’s  influence 
on  others  are  the  fruits  by  which  the  innermost 
character  of  each  will  be  shown. 

A fterward  came  also  the  other  virgins,  saying,  Lord, 
Lord,  open  to  us.  But  he  answered  and  said,  Verily  L 
say  unto  you,  I  know  you  not}  The  lamps  of  these 
virgins  had  gone  out.  They  were  not  in  their  places 
honoring  the  bridegroom.  Jesus  does  not  know  as 

1  Mat.  xiii.  40-43. 

2  Mat.  xxv.  11,  12.  See  on  Jesus’  knowledge,  §§43-48,  p.  96, 
ct  seq. 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE.  28 1 


His,  and  will  not  recognize  at  the  judgment,  those 
who  have  not  the  character  and  marks  of  discipleship. 

Again  :  Whosoever  shall  fall  on  this  stone  shall  be 
broken  ;  but  on  whomsoever  it  shall  fall ,  it  will  grind 
him  to  powderk 

In  the  parable  of  the  pounds,  Jesus  describes  the 
master’s  settlement  with  each  servant :  Then  came  the 
first ,  saying,  Lord ,  thy  pound  hath  gained  ten  pounds . 
And  he  said,  unto  him ,  Well,  thou  good  servant ;  be 
cause  thou  hast  been  faithful  in  a  very  little ,  have  thou 
authority  over  ten  cities.  And  the  secozid  came,  saying, 
Lord,  thy  pound  hath  gained  five  pounds.  A  nd  he  said 
likewise  to  him ,  Be  thou  also  over  five  cities.  And  an¬ 
other  came,  saying,  Lord,  behold,  here  is  thy  pound  which 
I  have  kept  laid  up  in  a  napkin  ;  for  L  feared  thee  be¬ 
cause  thou  art  an  austere  man;  thou  takest  zip  that 
thou  layedst  not  down,  and  reapest  that  thou  didst  ziot 
sow.  And  he  saith  unto  him,  Out  of  thine  own  mouth 
will  L  judge  thee,  thou  wicked  servant.  Thou  knewest 
that  I  was  an  austere  man,  taking  up  that  L  laid  not 
down,  and  reaping  that  L  did  ?iot  sow.  Wherefore, 
then,  gavest  thou  not  my  money  into  the  bank,  that  at 
my  coming  I  might  have  required  mine  own  with  usury  ? 
And  he  said  unto  them  that  stood  by,  Take  from  him 
the  pound,  and  give  it  to  him  that  hath  ten  pounds. 

.  .  .  .  For  L  say  unto  you,  That  unto  every  one  which 
hath  shall  be  given  ;  and  from  him  that  hath  not,  even 
that  he  hath  shall  be  taken  away  from  him.  But  those 


1  Mat.  xxi.  44  ;  Luke  xx.  18.  See  for  the  interpretation  of  these 
words,  p.  120. 


28  2 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


mine  enemies  which  would  not  that  I  should  reign  over 
them ,  bring  hither  and  slay  them  before  me} 

The  “  pounds  ”  are  (i.  e.,  represent)  the  powers  and 
opportunities  for  serving  Christ,  given  to  individuals 
in  variety  of  kind  and  measure.  The  bestowment 
carries  with  it  the  obligation  to  use  them  in  the  serv¬ 
ice  of  the  Master.  Fidelity  in  duty  to  Christ  on  the 
one  hand,  and  unfaithfulness  in  duty,  or  refusal  to 
come  under  His  rule,  on  the  other,  are  here  the 
grounds  of  approval  and  rejection,  of  reward  and 
punishment.  The  true  and  earnest  Christian  will  be 
faithful.  The  professing,  but  false  follower  of  Christ, 
will  reveal  his  hollow-heartedness  by  his  neglect  of 
duty  and  unprofitable  life.  The  tree  is  known  by  his 
fruits  :  fruits  are  the  criteria  of  character. 

Solemnly  sublime  is  Jesus’  description  of  the  pro¬ 
ceedings  of  the  judgment  day  as  recorded  by  Mat¬ 
thew  : 

When  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory ,  and  all 
the  holy  angels  with  him ,  then  shall  he  sit  upon  the 
throne  of  his  glory.  And  before  him  shall  be  gathered 
all  nations ;  and  he  shall  separate  them  one  from  an¬ 
other,  as  a  shepherd  divide th  his  sheep  from  the  goats. 
A  nd  he  shall  set  the  sheep  on  his  right  hand,  but  the 
goats  o?i  the  left.  Then  shall  the  King  say  unto  them 
on  his  right  hand,  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  in¬ 
herit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  founda¬ 
tion  of  the  zvorld.  For  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave 
me  meat :  I  was  thirsty ,  and  ye  gave  me  drmk :  I  zvas 


1  Luke  xix.  16-27. 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE .  283 

a  stranger ,  and  ye  took  me  in  ;  naked ,  <272^  clothed 
pie :  I  was  sick ,  and  ye  visited  me :  I  was  in  prison ,  and 
ye  came  unto  me.  Then  shall  the  righteous  answer  him, 
saying,  Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  an  hungered  and  fed 
thee,  or  thirsty  and  gave  thee  drink  ?  When  saw  we 
thee  a  stranger  and  took  thee  in  ?  or  naked  and  clothed 
thee?  Or  when  saw  we  thee  sick  or  in  prison  and 
came  unto  thee  ?  A  nd  the  King  shall  answer  and  say 
unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Inasmuch  as  ye  have 
done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye 
have  done  it  unto  me.  Then  shall  he  say  also  unto  them 
on  the  left  hand,  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  ever¬ 
lasting  fire  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels.  For 
I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  no  meat :  I  was 
thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  no  drink :  I  was  a  stranger,  and 
ye  took  me  not  in  :  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me  not :  sick, 
and  in  prison ,  and  ye  visited  me  not.  Then  shall  they 
also  answer  him,  saying,  Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  an 
hungered,  or  athirst,  or  a  stranger,  or  naked,  or  sick,  or 
in  prison,  and  did  not  minister  unto  thee  ?  Then  shall  he 
answer  them,  saying,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Inasmuch 
as  ye  did  it  not  to  one  of  the  least  of  these,  ye  did  it  not 
to  me.  And  these  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  pun¬ 
ishment ;  but  the  righteous  into  life  eternal } 

Love,  and  fidelity  in  the  duties  of  love  to  other  dis¬ 
ciples  of  Christ,  and  especially  to  the  little  ones,  those 
most  needing  sympathy  and  help,  and  at  the  same 
time  most  likely  to  be  neglected  ;  these  are  the  traits 
which  Jesus  distinguishes  in  this  representation  as  to 


1  Mat.  xxv.  31-46. 


284 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS 


be  approved  and  rewarded,  and  the  lack  of  which  is 
to  be  a  ground  of  condemnation  and  punishment  by 
Him  at  the  last  day.  And  Jesus  herein  not  only 
shows  His  own  love  for  His  little  ones,1  but 'also 
teaches  us  that  love  and  kindness  to  such  are  cardinal 
virtues  in  His  eye,  and  among  the  best  indexes  of 
genuine  piety 

Therefore,  Jesus  will,  as  Judge  of  men,  approve  or 
condemn,  reward  or  punish,  according  to  His  own 
declarations,  as  follows  : 

Seeing  and  Believing  on  the  Son,  Confession  of 
Christ  before  men,  Righteousness  of  character  and 
life,  the  Hearing  and  Doing  Christ’s  sayings,  Fidelity 
in  Christ’s  service  and  in  the  use  of  His  bestowments, 
love  and  kindness  to  others,  and  especially  to  Christ’s 
little  ones,  will  receive  recognition  and  approval. 

Denying  or  not  confessing  Christ  before  men  ; 
Hearing  and  not  doing  His  sayings;  Offending  others 
(i.  e .,  causing  them  to  fall,  or  hindering  their  progress 
in  piety),  and  Doing  iniquity ;  Falling  on  Him  (Jesus) 
as  a  stone  of  stumbling;  Slothfulness  in  His  service  ; 
Enmity  to  Him;  Refusal  to  have  Him  for  King; 
and  finally,  Lack  of  love  toward  His  little  ones  and 
Neglect  of  them  in  their  distresses,  will  be  grounds 
of  condemnation. 

It  is  plain  that  Jesus  has  not,  in  these  representa¬ 
tions,  made  a  full  enumeration  of  all  the  virtues  of 
the  Christian  character,  or  of  the  duties  and  services 
of  the  Christian  life ;  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  of  the 


1  See  §  101,  p.  210. 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE.  285 

traits  and  deeds  of  the  wicked  and  hypocritical.  Nor 
has  He  expressed  in  set  terms  all  the  great  princi¬ 
ples  of  Gospel  grace.  But  He  has  taught  ys  here 
very  impressively,  that  any  defect  in  repentance, 
faith,  and  regeneration,  all  which  He  teaches  else¬ 
where  as  conditions  of  salvation,  will  make  itself  visi¬ 
ble  in  the  life,  so  that  when  men  shall  be  judged 
“  according  to  their  works,”  the  result  will  be  in  en¬ 
tire  harmony  with  the  conditions  of  salvation  as  pro¬ 
claimed  in  the  Gospel. 

13 1.  JESUS  WILL  PUNISH  THE  WICKED. 

The  final  trial  and  condemnation  of  the  wicked 
will  be  followed  by  the  execution  of  the  sentence 
pronounced  upon  them.  In  words  of  Jesus  before 
quoted  He  says  that  He  will  “  deny  them  ”  before 
His  Father  and  the  holy  angels  :  He  will  declare  to 
them  that  He  i(  never  knew  them  ”  as  His  :  They 
shall,  when  the  storm  of  the  judgment  comes  upon 
them,  “  fall  ”  with  a  great  destruction  :  they  shall  have 
the  pounds  once  entrusted  to  them  taken  away,  i.  e., 
they  shall  be  deprived  of  the  advantages  which  they 
possessed  in  life,  but  neglected  to  improve ;  they 
shall  “  depart  from  ”  the  King  into  outer  darkness, 
away  from  the  light  of  His  presence  and  the  joy  of 
His  kingdom.  They  shall  be  “  slain,”  shall  be 
“  broken,”  shall  be  “  ground  to  powder;”  they  shall 
be  “  cast  into  a  furnace  of  fire  ”  where  they  shall 
“weep  and  wail  and  gnash  their  teeth:”  and  this 
punishment  he  designates  as  EVERLASTING. 


286 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


Some  of  these  descriptions  are  certainly  figurative  ; 
but  they  are  not,  therefore,  meaningless.  On  the 
contrary  they  are  the  most  striking  images  which 
this  world  can  furnish  of  the  extreme  of  suffering, 
and  were  chosen  evidently  on  that  account.  And 
there  is  in  all  these  words  of  Jesus,  so  fearful  in  their 
import,  a  tone  of  determination  which  shows  Him  to 
be  particularly  in  earnest.  The  tone  also  of  authority 
is  maintained,  as  we  have  before  noticed,  firm  and  un¬ 
faltering  throughout.  Both  manner  and  language 
comport  with  what  He  declares  Himself  to  be,  the 
final  Judge  of  men. 

No  exegesis  can  explain  away  the  meaning  of  the 
epithet  “  everlasting  ”  as  applied  to  the  punishment 
of  the  wicked.  It  is  the  same  word  as  that  used  in 
the  corresponding  clause  for  the  duration  of  the  life 
of  the  saved.  The  terms  are  “  everlasting  punish¬ 
ment,”  and  “  everlasting  life.”1  The  whole  descrip¬ 
tion  of  the  judgment  gives  it  the  character  of  a  final¬ 
ity  :  it  almost  speaks  the  words,  There  is  nothing 
beyond.  Doubters  and  deniers  of  the  fearful  truth  of 
the  eternal  duration  of  the  punishment  of  the  wicked, 
must  go  elsewhere  for  their  proofs  than  to  the  loving 
Jesus.  And  whatever  authority  they  may  bring  for 
the  opposite  doctrine,  they  have  Jesus  against  them. 
No  one  whose  words  are  recorded  in  the  Bible  has 
spoken  so  clearly  and  so  fully  of  the  future  punish¬ 
ment  of  the  wicked  as  Jesus  himself,  the  Friend  of 
sinners.  Other  New  Testament  characters  only  re- 


3  ei<3  Kolaaiv  a  viov,  c'cg  far'/v  aiCiviov 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE .  287 


peat  in  general  terms  what  He  has  more  particularly 
described.  Jesus  is  the  Great  Authority  for  Ever¬ 
lasting  Punishment :  I  am  he  that  liveth  and  was 
dead ;  a?id  behold ,  I  am  alive  for  evermore ,  Amen  ; 

and  have  the  keys  of  hell  and  of  death.1 

% 

132.  JESUS  WILL  BLESS  AND  REWARD  THE  GOOD. 

We  turn  first  to  the  words  which  were  lately  quoted 
respecting  the  Judgment. 

Jesus  will  “  confess  ”  His  people  before  His  Father 
and  the  holy  angels.  The  wicked  being  “  gathered 
out  ”  from  among  them,  they  shall  be  freed  from  the 
presence  of  evil  and  its  annoyances  ;  they  shall  “  shine 
as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father.” 

Let  us  pause  and  try  to  realize  what  such  words  as 
these  must  mean  in  the  mouth  of  Jesus.  He  was  not 
given  to  extravagance  in  language ;  yet  He  takes 
here  the  brightest  object  in  nature  to  represent  to  us 
the  heavenly  glory  of  the  righteous  when  gathered 
home  to  their  Father’s  kingdom.  Further,  the  right¬ 
eous  being  ready,  when  the  Bridegroom  shall  come, 
“  shall  go  in  with  him  ”  to  the  “  marriage  supper  of 
the  Lamb,”  and  shall  partake  in  the  love  and  the  joy 
of  the  heavenly  company.  Like  the  servants  who 
used  well  the  money  entrusted  to  them,  the  righteous 
shall  be  “  rewarded  ”  with  places  of  honor  and  author¬ 
ity.  They  shall  “  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for 
them  from  the  foundation  of  the  world.”  It  is  a 
kingdom  of  which  Jesus  is  King.  It  is  the  kingdom 

1  Rev.  i.  18. 


288 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS . 


of  God,  originated  by  His  grace  and  wisdom  from 
eternity,  and  consummated  as  a  kingdom  of  heaven. 
It  was  “  prepared  ”  for  them,  especially  for  the  re¬ 
deemed,  purchased  by  the  Redeemer,  and  furnished 
with  all  that  can  minister  to  their  joy.  They  shall 
“  inherit  ”  it,  by  gift  indeed,  but  also  in  a  sense  by 
right,  through  Christ  ;  and  it  is  inalienable. 

We  quote  now  other  words  of  Jesus  which  describe 
what  He  does  for  the  saved :  for  we  have  by  no 
means  exhausted  them. 

And  He  that  sat  upon  the  throne  said  :  Behold ,  / 
make  all  things  new.  A?id  he  said  unto  me ,  Write ,  for 
these  words  are  true  and  faithful}  It  is  the  New 
Jerusalem  to  which  He  refers,  and  its  inhabitants. 
All  things  in  it  shall  be  “  new,”  better  than  the  best 
of  earth,  than  earth's  choicest  provisions  and  happi¬ 
est  experiences. 

In  my  Father  s  house  are  many  mansions:  if  it  were 
not  so  I  zvould  have  told  you  :  I  go  to  prepare  a  place 
for  you.  And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I 
will  come  agahi  and  receive  you  unto  myself ;  that 
where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also? 

These  words,  simple  human  words  as  they  are.  are 
made  by  Jesus  to  express  the  boundlessness  of 
heavenly  love  and  bliss.  The  saved  will  have  a  home 
in  the  house  of  His  and  their  Father:  it  will  be 
ample  for  them  all,  yes,  for  each  to  have  a  mansion, 
or  dwelling-place.  He  was  about  to  leave  them  ; 
but  it  was  only  to  “  go  and  prepare  a  place  ”  for  them. 


1  Rev.  xxi.  5. 


2  John  xiv.  2,  3. 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE.  2Sg 

The  words  express  riches  of  love  on  His  part,  and  the 
magnificence  and  abundance  and  fitness  of  the  prepa¬ 
ration  which  He  makes  for  them.  Having  made 
such  preparation  He  will  come  again  and  receive  them 
to  Himself,  that  they  may  be  with  Him  forever. 

To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  cat  of  the  tree 
of  life ,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  Paradise  of  God } 

The  allusion  is  to  the  garden  of  Eden,  and  the 
trees  in  it,  and  to  the  first  human  pair  once  privileged 
to  eat  freely  of  their  fruit.  But  the  redeemed  are 
admitted,  not  to  an  earthly  Paradise  even  with  its  tree 
of  life,  but  to  the  Paradise  of  God  and  to  its  trees  of 
life,  that  is,  to  its  perennial  sources  of  holy  and  happy 
and  unending  existence. 

To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the 
hidden  manna,  and  will  give  him  a  white  stone ,  and  in 
the  stone  a  new  name  written ,  which  no  man  knoweth 
saving  he  that  receiveth  it.1 2 

This  is  another  figurative  description  of  the  condi¬ 
tion  of  safety,  privilege,  and  peculiar  intimacy  to 
which  Jesus  will  bring  His  people.  The  best  and 
most  sacred  things  on  earth  are  chosen  to  represent 
the  possessions  and  enjoyments  of  the  saved.  A  pot 
of  manna  was  laid  up  in  the  tabernacle  before  the 
Testimony  to  be  kept  for  after  generations  as  a  me¬ 
morial  of  the  food  miraculously  supplied  to  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  Israel  during  their  forty  years’  wandering  in 
the  wilderness.3  So  in  the  holy  of  holies  above,  it 
would  seem  there  is  manna  laid  up  ;  not,  however,  a 


1  Rev.  ii.  7.  2  Rev.  ii.  17.  3  Ex.  xvi.  33,  34. 

*3 


290 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


mere  sample  to  be  kept,  but  provision  to  be  partaken 
of  freely  by  the  redeemed  and  so  to  minister  to  their 
life  and  strength  and  joy.  Or  does  it  rather  signify 
a  special  part  of  these  provisions,  namely,  the  pre¬ 
cious  memories,  recounted  by  the  saints  in  heaven,  of 
their  rich  experiences  of  God’s  grace  on  earth,  in 
which  they  continually  discover  fresh  proofs  of  His 
amazing  love  and  faithfulness.  This  would  best  an¬ 
swer  to  the  “  memorial  ”  feature  of  the  pot  of  manna. 

The  white  stone  is  not  so  easily  interpreted.  Some, 
preferring  to  find  an  explanation  within  the  Scrip¬ 
tures,  make  reference  to  the  precious  stones,  with  the 
names  of  the  tribes  of  Israel  thereon,  fixed  upon  the 
breast-plate  of  the  high  priest,  and  borne  there  by 
him  when  he  went  into  the  inner  sanctuary.1  But  it 
is  a  decisive  objection  to  this  reference,  that  those 
stones  were  worn  by  the  priest,  whereas  this  one  is 
not  represented  as  worn  by  Jesus,  the  great  High 
Priest,  but  as  given  by  Him  to,  and  possessed  by,  the 
redeemed  one.  Other  interpreters  go  outside  of  the 
Scriptures  to  ancient  customs  which  furnish  various 
illustrative  usages ;  but  no  one  of  them  fully  meets 
the  case  before  us.  The  white  stone  as  used  by 
jurors  and  voters  signified  acceptance,  favor,  acquit¬ 
tal.  The  black  stone,  in  contrast,  expressed  rejection, 
denial,  condemnation.  Again,  pieces  of  wood,  metal, 
or  stone,  more  or  less  wrought  and  ornamented  with 
devices,  were  given  as  tokens  and  carried  by  husbands, 
wives,  children,  betrothed  ones,  by  agents  of  kings, 
and  by  persons  of  different  countries  who  had  formed 

J  Ex.  xxviii.  15-20. 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE.  29! 

relations  of  business  or  friendship.  Sometimes  both 
parties  carried  tokens  that  tallied  exactly  with  each 
other,  and  had  some  mark  on  them  known  only  to 
the  parties,  which  certified  the  identity  of  the  pos¬ 
sessors  to  each  other  or  their  friends.  Let  us  draw 
from  these  usages  our  illustration  of  the  white  stone 
of  the  text.  Its  very  color  denotes  favor  and  peace. 
The  “  new  name  ”  inscribed  on  the  stone  is  prob¬ 
ably  not  the  same  as  that  spoken  of  in  ch.  iii.  12,  “I 
will  write  upon  him  (the  faithful  servant)  my  new 
name.”  For  that  new  name  of  Jesus  written  upon  a 
saved  one  in  order  to  certify  him  as  belonging  to 
Jesus  is  known  and  read  of  all  in  heaven.  This  name 
on  the  stone  is  known  only  to  the  possessor.  Is  it 
that  each  redeemed  soul,  admitted  into  heaven,  re¬ 
ceives  from  his  Lord  a  new  secret  name?  This,  given 
to  the  faithful  Christian,  would  be  a  love-token,  an 
assurance  of  favor,  a  pledge  of  Christ’s  enduring 
grace,  conveying  a  personal  title  and  assuring  a  right 
to  all  the  privileges  of  the  saved.  In  plain  language, 
each  saved  soul  shall  possess  a  pledge  given  to  it  by 
Jesus  himself  containing  some  special  mark  of  Jesus' 
love  to  it.  The  nature  and  purport  of  this,  the  re¬ 
ceiver  of  it  shall  well  understand  and  shall  value  it  as 
his  title-deed  to  that  love  and  heaven’s  eternal  joys. 

Again,  the  exalted  Jesus  says:  He  that  over comet h 
and  keepeth  my  works  unto  the  end ,  to  him  will  I  give 
power  over  the  nations.  ( A  nd  he  shall  rule  them  with 
a  rod  of  iron,  as  the  vessels  of  a  potter  shall  they  be 
broken  in  pieces :)  even  as  I  received  of  my  Father } 

!  Rev.  ii.  26,  27. 


292 


CHRIST  HIS  0 IV A'  WITNESS. 


The  reference  in  these  last  words  is  to  the  second 
Psalm,  which  Jesus  applies  to  Himself:  “Ask  of  me 
and  I  shall  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inherit¬ 
ance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy 
possession.  Thou  shalt  break  them  with  a  rod  of 
iron  ;  thou  shalt  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  potter’s 
vessel.”  1 

Jesus  will  subdue  all  His  enemies  either  by  love  or 
by  power.  All  His  implacable  foes,  even  the  strong¬ 
est,  shall  be  “  put  under  his  feet.”  2  His  people  shall 
share  His  dominion  over  His  and  their  enemies. 
That  those  once  persecuted  shall  be  directly  em¬ 
ployed  to  punish  their  persecutors  is  more  than  can 
fairly  be  drawn  from  these  words.  But  their  condi¬ 
tions  shall  be  exchanged,  just  as  those  of  Dives  and 
Lazarus  were. 

Further,  Jesus  says  of  him  that  overcometh  :  And 
I  will  give  him  the  Morning  Star?  In  another  place 
He  says:  I  am  the  Root  and  the  Offspring  of  David, 
the  Bright  and  Morning  Star?  In  both  passages  the 
language  is  figurative ;  in  the  latter  one  the  figure  is 
explained.  Jesus  is  the  Morning  Star  to  men,  bring¬ 
ing  light  to  them  in  darkness,  the  light  of  Life.  But 
we  can  not  be  sure  that  the  figure  is  to  be  understood 
in  exactly  the  same  sense  in  both  places.  If  it  is, 
Jesus,  in  the  first  of  these  passages,  says  that  He 
gives  himself  to  His  redeemed  as  their  Light  and 
Life.  And  this  will  be  about  the  meaning  even  if  we 


1  Ps.  :i.  8,  9. 
3  Rev.  ii.  28. 


2 1  Cor.  xv.  25. 

4  Rev.  xxii.  16;  Num.  xxiv.  17. 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE .  293 

interpret  the  Morning  Star,  not  of  Jesus  himself,  but 
of  the  grace  and  glory  which  He  confers.  For  Jesus 
is  the  ultimate  source  of  the  life,  glory,  and  joy  of  the 
redeemed,  and  so  He  is  really  the  “  Morning  Star  ” 
which  shall  glitter  unfactingly  upon  the  brow  of  the 
saved  soul. 

And  yet  further,  He  who  has  the  key  to  all  the 
treasures  of  heaven  says  :  He  that  over cometh ,  the 
same  shall  be  clothed  in  white  raiment ,  and  I  will  not 
blot  out  his  name  out  of  the  book  of  life ;  but  I  will 
confess  his  name  before  my  Father  and  before  his 
angels} 

Jesus’  “confessing”  those  who  on  earth  confessed 
Him  has  been  spoken  of  before.2  The  “  white  rai¬ 
ment  ”  is  doubtless  the  same  as  the  “  fine  linen,  clean 
and  white,”  with  which  the  bride  of  Christ  is  de¬ 
scribed  as  arrayed,  of  which  it  is  said,  “  The  fine  linen 
is  the  righteousness  of  saints.”  3  Arrayed  in  it,  the 
Bride  will  not  have  “  spot  or  wrinkle  or  any  such 
thing.”  The  “  book  of  life  ”  has  the  names  of  the 
saved  written  therein.  The  name  of  any  one  found 
standing  there  at  the  judgment  assures  his  blessed 
destiny.4 

Still  again,  says  He  that  came  down  from  heaven, 
even  the  Son  of  man  which  is  in  heaven  \.Him  that 
overcometh  will  I  make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my 
God ,  and  he  shall  go  no  more  out :  and  I  will  write 
upon  him  the  name  of  my  God,  and  the  name  of  the 


1  Rev.  iii.  5. 

8  Rev.  xix.  8. 


2  §  88,  p.  187. 

4  Rev.  xx.  12,  15. 


294 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


city  of  my  God,  which  is  new  Jerusalem ,  which  cometh 
down  out  of  heaven  from  my  God,  and  I  will  write 
upon  him  my  new  name } 

The  “  temple  of  God  ”  is  His  spiritual  temple  built 
of  lively  (living)  stones,  namely,  His  believing  people.2 
To  be  a  “  pillar  ”  in  this  temple  of  God  is  to  be  an 
essential  part  of  it,  a  part  prominent,  important,  per¬ 
manent,  beautiful.  The  meaning  of  the  figure  under¬ 
stood  of  the  saved  soul  is  plain.  The  figure  of  the 
pillar  is  then  dropped,  and  another  is  used.  A  valued 
object  has  the  name  of  its  owner  written  upon  it,  and 
the  name  of  the  place  (city  or  palace,  or  temple)  to 
which  it  belongs.  Thus  the  ownership  of  it,  and  the 
proper  place  for  it,  are  manifest  at  once,  and  can  not 
be  disputed  or  disregarded.  The  saved,  having  writ¬ 
ten  plainly  on  them  the  name  of  God,  of  the  New 
Jerusalem,  and  the  new  name  of  Christ,  are  recog¬ 
nized  always  by  all  as  belonging  to  God  and  Christ, 
and  as  being  citizens  of  the  New  Jerusalem.  Is  there 
an  intimation,  in  some  of  these  last  quotations,  that 
when  Jesus  shall  have  gathered  all  His  redeemed 
home  to  the  New  Jerusalem,  He  will  also  assume  a 
“  new  Name,”  better  and  sweeter  to  them  than  all  by 
which  He  is  called  in  the  Bible?  We  can  not  now 
conceive  of  any  better  than  there  are  ;  but  “  Eye  hath 
not  seen  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for 
them  that  love  him.” 

In  the  last  prayer  of  Jesus  with  His  disciples  we 


1  Rev.  iii.  12. 


3 1  Cor.  iii.,  and  1  Pet.  ii.  4-6. 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE.  295 


have  these  words  :  Father,  I  will  that  they  also  whom 
thou  hast  given  me  be  with  me  where  I  am,  that  they 
may  behold  my  glory  which  thou  hast  given  me} 

To  those  who  love  Jesus,  the  being  with  Him  in 
loving  communion  and  beholding  His  glory,  will  be 
perpetual  sources  of  delight,  the  highest  of  which 
creatures  are  capable.  That  the  redeemed  are  to 
have  this  privilege  is  made  clear  by  other  declarations 
also  :  Where  I  am,  there  shall  also  my  servant  be.2  To 
Peter  :  Whither  I  go  thou  canst  not  follow  me  now,  but 
thou  shalt  follow  me  afterwards?  To  the  dying  thief : 
This  day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise ?  At  mid¬ 
night  the  bridegroom  came,  and  they  that  were  ready 
went  in  with  him  to  the  marriage ?  I  will  not  drink 
henceforth  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine  until ....  I  drink  it 
new  with  you  in  my  Father  s  kingdom?  They  (the  saved) 
shall  walk  with  me  in  white,  for  they  are  worthy? 

All  these  various  expressions  are  figures  drawn 
from  earth,  of  familiar  society  and  loving  intercourse. 
What  higher  blessedness  and  honor  can  there  be 
than  such  association  with  the  Son  of  God?  Yet 
Jesus,  in  setting  before  us  the  life  of  the  saved  in 
heaven,  rises  even  upon  this. 

And  I  appoint  unto  you  a  kingdom ,  as  my  Father  hath 
appointed  imto  me ;  that  ye  may  eat  and  drink  at  my 
table  in  my  kingdom,  and  sit  on  thrones,  judging  the 
twelve  tribes  of  Israel? 

1  John  xvii.  24.  2  John  xii.  26.  3  John  xiii.  36. 

4  Luke  xxiii.  43.  5  Mat.  xxv.  10. 

6  Mat.  xxvi.  29  ;  Mark  xiv.  25  ;  Luke  xxii.  18. * * 6  7  Rev.  iii.  4. 

B  Luke  xxii.  29,  30. 


296 


CHRIST  I1IS  OWN  WITNESS. 


The  figure  here  is  that  of  princes  or  associated 
kings  entertained  at  the  royal  table  of  a  King  of 
kings.  To  the  close  association  of  friendship  is  added 
the  honor  of  rank  and  authority,  authority  shared 
with  Jesus.  We  dare  not  enter  into  details  here,  or 
go  a  step  beyond  the  simple  words.  It  seems  neces¬ 
sary  to  confine  their  application  to  those  servants  of 
Christ  who  have  been  distinguished  for  consecration, 
self-denial,  effort,  endurance,  success.  On  the  prin¬ 
ciple  heretofore  mentioned,  he  who  makes  himself 
the  servant  of  all,  shall  in  heaven  be  chief.  There 
shall  be  authorities,  powers,  and  thrones  among  the 
saved ;  and  the  most  devoted  and  useful  on  earth 
shall  possess  them.  This  idea  we  find  expressed  even 
more  clearly  :  The  glory  which  thou  gavest  me  I  have 
given  them.  To  him  that  over cometh  will  I  gra?it  to 
sit  with  me  in  my  throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame ,  and 
am  set  dozvn  with  my  Father  in  his  throne}  The 
general  sense  of  these  words  is  plain.  Let  us  with 
reverence,  modesty,  and  hope  leave  the  details  of 
their  meaning  to  the  discoveries  and  experience 
which  surely  await  us  if  we  are  the  Lord’s. 

We  now  put  together  the  elements  of  the  future 
blessedness  as  promised  by  Jesus  in  the  words  quoted 
in  this  section. 

The  saved  shall  be  in  their  “  Father’s  House.” 
Jesus  will  “make  all  things  new”  for  them;  they 
shall  be  “  clothed  in  white  raiment,”  in  spotless  purity 
of  character;  they  shall  be  “pillars”  in  God’s  spiritual 


1  John  xvii.  22. 


2  Rev.  iii.  21. 


JESUS'  RELATIONS  TO  MEN  AS  JUDGE.  297 

temple  in  heaven,  permanent  and  honorable  parts  of 
His  glorified  Church.  Each  of  them  shall  possess  a 
“white  stone,”  with  a  secret  name  on  it  inscribed  by 
the  Lord,  a  token  and  pledge  of  His  love ;  they  shall 
eat  of  the  “hidden  manna,”  enjoy  the  sweet  memo¬ 
ries  of  the  grace  experienced  on  earth ;  and  shall 
partake  of  the  fruit  of  the  “  tree  of  life  ”  which  shall 
impart  a  better  and  higher  immortality  than  did  the 
tree  of  life  in  the  garden  of  Eden  ;  they  shall  “  see 
Christ’s  glory,”  and  this  shall  make  them  happier 
than  were  the  three  who  saw  Him  transfigured,  al¬ 
though  it  was  “good  to  be  there;”  they  shall  be 
“where  Jesus  is;”  they  shall  be  “with  Jesus,”  be 
admitted  to  His  society;  they  shall  “feast”  with 
Him,  enjoy  His  most  intimate  fellowship  and  share 
in  His  joy.  He  will  give  them  the  “morning-star” 
of  His  favor,  the  “  honor  ”  of  His  love,  “  authority  ” 
in  His  kingdom,  nay,  “association”  in  His  throne. 
Throughout  there  is  also  conveyed  the  idea  that  all 
this  is  enduring,  even  everlasting. 

These  descriptions  by  Jesus  of  the  future  bliss  and 
glory  of  His  redeemed  have  all  one  tone.  Gathered 
from  the  reports  of  His  conversations  before  His 
death,  from  those  after  His  resurrection,  and  from 
the  revelations  made  by  Him  from  heaven,  they  all 
express  the  consciousness  of  power  and  infinite  re¬ 
sources,  and  disclose  a  love  which  is  divine  in  its 
wisdom  and  liberality.  And  all  that  is  here  said  is 
also  in  perfect  keeping  with  what  Jesus  did  on  earth  ; 
with  the  compassion  and  kindness  of  His  miracles; 
with  His  tenderness  toward  the  needy  and  the 


298 


CHRIST  HIS  0  WN  WITNESS. 


guilty;  with  the  yearning  love  that  breathed  in  His 
last  conversations ;  with  the  sufferings  of  the  garden, 
the  trials  and  the  cross,  and  with  His  giving  His  life 
to  save  men  from  eternal  death.  This  consistency  of 
the  whole,  this  SUSTAINED  expression  and  exhibition 
of  a  superhuman  love,  in  a  thousand  ways,  from 
beginning  to  end,  only  growing  deeper,  stronger, 
fuller  to  the  last,  is  a  fact  unexampled  in  human  his¬ 
tory  or  literature — is  a  phenomenon  which  even 
Christians  fail  to  appreciate,  and  which  shall  be 
better  and  better  understood  as  the  saved  shall  rise 
in  spiritual  experience  and  attainment.  As  they 
“  grow  in  grace  ”  they  will  also  grow  “  in  the  knowl¬ 
edge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.”1 


1 2  Pet.  iii.  18. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


THE  RESULTS  OF  JESUS’  MESSIANIC  WORK  TO 
HIMSELF  AND  TO  GOD. 

I33.  JESUS  SHALL  BE  GLORIFIED  FOR  ALL  HIS 
WORK  AS  MESSIAH. 

As  His  life  was  drawing  near  its  end,  He  said  : 
The  hour  is  come  that  the  Son  of  man  should  be  glori¬ 
fied}  When  Judas  went  out  from  the  last  passover 
to  lead  the  band  of  officers  to  Gethsemane  to  capture 
Him,  J  esus  said :  Now  is  the  Son  of  man  glorified? 
Of  His  disciples,  their  work  and  its  results,  He  said  : 
I  am  glorified  in  them?  After  His  resurrection  He 
Chided  the  two  going  to  Emmaus  for  not  understand¬ 
ing  this  from  the  Scriptures  :  Ought  not  Christ  to 
have  suffered  these  thmgs  and  to  enter  into  his  glory  ? 4 

It  was  His  glory  on  earth,  but  especially  His  glory 
in  heaven,  given  as  the  reward  of  His  redeeming 
work,  that  He  spoke  of.  It  was  “the  joy  set  before 
him,”  to  which  He  looked  forward  continually,  as  we 
see  from  much  that  He  said,  and  as  we  are  expressly 
told  in  the  Scriptures.5 


Hohn  xii.  23. 

8  John  xvii.  10. 


*  Luke  xxiv.  26. 


2  John  xiii.  31. 
5  Heb.  xii.  2. 

(299) 


300 


CHRIST  HIS  OWN  WITNESS. 


I34.  BOTH  THE  SPIRIT  AND  THE  FATHER  GLORIFY 
THE  SON  FOR  HIS  MESSIANIC  WORK. 

When  he  the  Spirit  of  truth  is  come ,  Jie  will  guide 
you  into  all  truth.  .  .  .  He  shall  glorify  me ,  for  he  shall 
receive  of  mine  and  shall  show  it  tint 0  you} 

The  gifts  and  revelations  made  by  the  Spirit  to  the 
Apostles  are  especially  meant,  and  also  the  spiritual 
influences  so  largely  bestowed  on  the  day  of  Pente¬ 
cost  and  ever  since.  These  all  honor  Christ  because 
He  is  the  subject  of  them  ;  because  His  work  and 
sufferings  are  the  source  of  them  ;  and  because  they 
are  worthy  of  Him. 

The  Father  also  glorifies  the  Son  :  If  I  honor  my¬ 
self  (that  is,  if  I  alone  honor  myself)  my  honor  is 
nothing :  it  is  my  Father  that  honor  eth  me  I  I  seek 
not  mine  own  glory  :  there  is  one  that  seeketh  and  judg- 
eth }  If  God  be  glorified  in  him  (the  Son),  God  shall 
also  glorify  him  in  himself,  and  shall  straightway 
glorify  him}  The  glory  which  thou  gavest  me  I  have 
given  them }  Father ,  the  hour  is  come ;  glorify  thy 
Son I  And  now ,  O  Father ,  glorify  thou  me  with  thine 
oivn  self ,  with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee  before 
the  world  was} 

These  last  words  are  clear  and  explain  the  rest. 
As  the  reward  of  all  His  Messianic  work,  the  Son 
was  glorified  by  the  Father,  being  received  by  Him 

1  John  xvi.  13,  14.  2  John  viii.  54.  s  John  viii.  50. 

4  John  xiii.  32.  6  John  xvii.  22.  6  John  xvii.  1. 

7  John  xvii.  5. 


RESULTS  OF  JESUS'  MESSIANIC  IV OR  FT.  30 1 

back  to  His  former  glory  with  Himself.  No  human 
words  of  explanation  could  add  light  or  significance 
to  those  by  which  Jesus  has  thus  described  His  future 
glory. 

I35.  JESUS  BY  ALL  HIS  MESSIANIC  WORK  GLORIFIES 

GOD. 

This  is  one  of  the  evidences  which  He  gave  of  His 
own  truth  :  He  that  speaketh  of  himself  seeketh  his 
own  glory  /  but  he  that  seeketh  his  glory  that  sent  him, 
the  same  is  true,  and  there  is  no  unrighteousness  in  him} 
Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name,  that  will  I  do,  that 
the  Father  may  be  glorified  in  the  Son } 

It  was  this  desire  and  purpose  to  glorify  His 
Father  which  sustained  Jesus  in  His  seasons  of  trial. 
Now  is  my  soul  troubled.  ....  Father,  save  me  from 
this  hour.  But  for  this  cause  came  I  unto  this  hour. 
Father ,  glorify  thy  name}  And  as  the  scenes  of 
sham 2  and  suffering  were  about  to  open,  it  was  not 
only  the  fact  that  His  own  glory  was  to  result  there¬ 
from,  but  the  Father’s  also,  which  animated  Him, 
and  enabled  Him  to  welcome  them.  It  was  with 
this  spirit  that  He  said  :  Now  is  the  Son  of  man  glori¬ 
fied,  and  God  is  glorified  in  Him.4 


1  John  vii.  18. 

3  John  xii.  27,  28. 


2  John  xiv.  13. 
*  John  xiii.  31. 


INDEX 


Chap.  Genesis.  page 

6:2 .  . . .  126 

39  :  2»  3,  23 .  140 


Exodus. 

3  : 12 .  140 

3-i4 . .  94 

4  :  22 .  127 

16  :  33,  34 .  289 

28  : 15-20 .  290 

Numbers. 

23  : 19 .  41 

24  : 17 .  35.  292 

31 : 16 .  257 

2  Samuel. 

7:14 .  127 

1  Kings. 

bi  :  25 .  258 

Job. 

1 : 6  and  2:1 .  127 

25:6 .  41 

38  :  7 .  127 

Psalms. 

2:  .  237 

«»2 .  37 

6,  7,  12 .  127 

8,  9 .  292 

4:2 .  41 

8:6 .  112 

16  :  9, 10 . 37 

22 . .  37 

7,  8  .  37 

22 .  139,  208,  241 

41 :  9 .  37,  7° 

45:6 .  129 

69  =  4 .  83 

7,  9 .  37 

12,  21 .  37 

71 .  37 

90:2...., .  93 

no . 237 

no:  1 .  ....  in,  118 

118  :  22 .  220 


8 : 22-27. 


Proverbs. 


93 


Chap.  Isaiah.  page 

7  •  x4  .  128 

9:6 .  127 

11 .  35 

22:22.....  . .  -  236 

35:4,5,6 .  35 

4i:4 .  94 

44  :  6 .  9^ 

48  : 12 .  94 

5o  :  6 .  37 

53 .  37 

53  =  8,  *> .  37 

12 .  38 

61 : 1,  2 .  36,  155 

i-3 .  27 

65  :  5 .  260 

16 .  19 


2 


Ezekiel. 
1 . 


41 


Daniel. 


3  : 25 . 129 

7 : 13 .  42 

9  •'  26 .  37 


n :  1 


Hosea. 


127 


Zechariah. 


4  :  2,  n-14 .  155 

13  •'  7 . 38,  I29 

Malachi. 

3:1 . 36,  129 


Matthew. 
1 : 21 . 

23 . 

3  . 

3:  i5 . 

17 . . 

4  •'  4 . 

4,  7,  10 . . 

10 . 

19 . 

5:  i7 . 

2T . 

22 . . 

28 . 

32 . 

(303) 


. .  .  48,  164 

. 123 

.  3 

.  84 

14,  132,  212 
.  61,  63 

.  85 

.  117 

.  250 

.  .  2  6y  119 

.  120 

.  120 

.  120 

.  120 


304 


INDEX. 


Chap. 
5  •'  34- 


9.. . 

16. , 


3° . 

7:6 . 

21  . 

23  . 

24-27  . 

24  . 

25..  .. 

26. .  . . 

8:3 . 

10  ... . 
20  ... . 
26  ... . 

9:2 . 

6 . 

9 . 

12, 13. 

13 . 

15 - 

22  . 

28, 29  . 
36-38.  • 

10  : 2-4. . . . 
6 . 

7  . 

8  . 


10 . 

1 6 . 

23 . 

25 . 

32 . 

33-  ••• 
34,  35  • 

37  . 

38  . 

40  . 

41  . 

42  . 

x  1  :  2-6. . . . 

3-5- •• 

10. . 

16-19.. 

21-24.. 

25  . 

26  _ _ 

27  .... 


28.  .. 

29. .  . . 
12  :  6.  ... 

8 . 

20. .  . . 
24-27. 

28 .. . . 
29  . .. 

31  •  •• 

32..  . 

39,  4° 


Matthew.  page 

.  120 

.  120 

.  . .  20 

.  240 

.  . .  20 

.  202 

.  260 

.  123 

.  105 

.  I2X,  279 

.  177 

.  233 

.  177  I 

.  ”3 

.  65,  202  j 

.  62,  64 

.  202 

.  204 

.  204 

. .  250 

.  57,  180 

.  27 

.  101,  207 

.  59 

.  202 

.  85 

.  221 

.  223 

.  223  bis. 

.  223 

.  62 

.  250 

.  223 

.  69,  l62,  170,  234 

.  123,  187,  279 

.  123,  187,  279 

.  28 

.  46,  185,  203 

.  l86,  203 

.  149,  I5°,  210 

. 2x0 

.  210 

.  6 

. .  S2,  58,  59 

.  36 

.  6l 

.  60,  I78 

.  71,  124,  138,  177,  202 

.  ...  124,  176 

91,  104,  114,  116,  124,  14.6,  151 
161,  172,  191,  195. 

.  no,  175,  180,  182 

. 84, 171, 175,  203 

.  .  1 12 

.  1 12 

.  203 

.  82 

.  117,  156 

. . .  Il8 

.  156 

.  162  | 

.  I0,  38,  IO3 


Chap. 

12  :  41,  42  , 

46-50.. 

50 . 

13  :  11-15  . 

11,  12 
i3-I5* 

15  - 

16,  17. 
35 . 

37  . 

38,  39 

38  . 

40-43. 

40..  . 
41.  ... 

42 . 

57  •••• 

14  :  27 . 

28..  . . . 

31  .... 

15  :  13 - 

28..  . . 
32,  34- 

32..  . 

16  :  6-12  . 

8 . 

13..  ., 

15-17.  • 

16  ... 
17-19 

17.. .. 

18  .. 

19  .. 

21 _ 

22 .. . . 
23  . . . 

24.. .. 

27.. .. 
28  ... 

17:  5 . 

9  .... 
12  ... 

17.. .. 

20  ... 

22 .. . . 

23.. .. 

18:  5 . 

10 

11 

18.. .. 
19,20. 

20. .  . . 
19:  9..  .  . 

14 .. . . 
16,  17. 

21  ... 

23.. . 
28  ... 

20 :  18-19 
20-23 . 

22 .. . . 

23.. .. 


Matthew.  page 

.  113,  178 

.  45,  209 

.  123 

.  173 

.  177 

.  177 

.  170 

.  32,  I72 

.  93 

.  . .  .  196 

. 247 

. 196 

.  280 

.  277 

.  117,  236,  277 

.  «7 

.  96,  100 

.  46,  214 

.  221 

.  203 

.  123 

.  202 

.  84 

.  56 

.  248 

.  202 

.  41 

.  3i 

.  128 

.  220 

.  66,  125,  194,  202 

.  hi,  218,  234,  237 

.  236,  250 

.  100,  102 

.  221,  229 

.  67,  229 

.  186 

.  I24 

.  235 

. 14 

.  103 

. .  102 

.  175,  178 

.  203 

.  100,  102 

.  102 

.  210 


25, 


99 


85 


223 

241 

103 

120 


••  ••  57,  x75 

.  87 

.  185 

.  20 

.  66 

37,  102,  bis. 
....  76,  224 


102 

102 


INDEX. 


305 


Chap.  Matthew.  page 

20:26-28 . . .  167,  224,  235 

28 .  26,  80,  81,  85,  209 

02 . .  , .  ^7,  17s; 

Chap.  Matthew.  page 

26  :  36 .  137 

37-45 .  63 

21:3 .  55 

18.  IQ  .  63 

39 .  77, 

42 .  78 

21 .  60 

4?-  46 .  .  n8 

08  . . .  2T.4. 

42 .  .  37,  20,  220 

c;o .  70,  Q_> 

44  . . . .  120,  281 

22  :  12 .  260 

18 .  69,  97 

40 .  234 

55 .  55, 59, 69,  171 

63  . . .  125 

44 . .  hi,  118,  1=;^ 

27  :  II . .  34 

23  :  1-11 .  88 

8  . 170,  225 

Q . . . .  223 

46 .  79,  134,  13S,  140 

28  :  10 . . .  5^1  2 08 

12 .  260 

28-38  .  272 

07 . I7Q 

18 . . n6, 146 

19-20 . 109, 120, 223, 252 

39 .  99 

24:25 .  97 

27 . 268 

Mark. 

I . . .  3 

. .  268,  277 

IT .  14 

31 .  II4,  H7,  191,  277 

34 .  271 

oc  . 10,  20,  IT^ 

17 .  250 

38 .  27,  54, 58 

41 .  I  T  3 

36  . .  105,  269 

37-38 . 268 

42 .  270 

44 .  269,  270 

46 .  271 

2:5 . 204 

14 .  25O 

17 .  27,  57,  180 

19,  20 .  20 7 

19 .  IOT 

25  !  1-6 .  277 

6 . 234,269,  277 

IO  . .  .  20C 

28 .  1 12 

3  :  11,  12 .  125 

11^12 .  280 

ifi-TQ . , . 221 

14 .  270 

27—26 .  82,  118 

IQ— 24 . . .  277 

27 .  118 

19  .  269,  277 

20  .  277 

29,  3° .  J56 

22 .  8,  277 

O  *  D  j  .  ..1.^.  1 J 

34.  3C .  200 

24 .  277 

3J-46 .  283 

31 .  278 

04 .  QO,  123 

4  ••  11  . . .  173, 177 

12 .  170, 177 

5  :  i-7 .  125 

30—34 .  so 

35,  36,  4°,  45 .  210 

26  :  10  .  303 

3° .  214 

6:4 .  96,  100 

. . 46,  214 

t8  .  40.  S?.  IOI 

7  :  20 .  202 

19 .  269 

21  .  69 

22  .  . .  8 

8:2 . 56, 84 

14-21 . 248 

27 .  41 

23  . . .  60 

31 .  102 

24  .  102 

32,  33  .  220 

25  .  70 

26  .  242 

27-28  .  242 

28  .  103,  166 

29  . 295 

31  .  38,  67,  98,  129 

32  103 

33  .  . .  221 

34  .  68,  98 

34 .  186 

38.... .  275,279 

9:1 .  235 

7 .  *4 

9 .  i°3 

13 .  102 

19 .  175,  178 

23 . in 

31 .  102 

306 


INDEX. 


Chap.  Mark.  page 

o:  77 . . . .  . .  210 

Chap.  Luke.  page 

21  40 . . .  4*3,  85 

41 .  210 

IO:  II . . , .  120 

:  52 . .  106 

I 4 .  C7.  17  C 

22 .  I4 

17, 18 .  87 

21 .  185 

7 A .  *27.  102 

4  :  2-12 . .  85 

4 .  61,  63 

8  .  .  . .  117 

35-40 .  76,  224 

38 .  102 

20 . . . . .  102 

18-21 .  27,36,155 

23,  24 .  53,  59 

24 .  96,  100 

42-45 .  224,  235 

45 .  81,  85,  209 

C  I . .  t;7.  17  C 

43  .  27,  54,  58,  85 

44  .  96 

c  •  10  . . .  2^0 

11 :  2 .  « 

17 . . .  I  17 

12-14 .  63 

12  :  7 .  274 

20 .  204 

27 . .  2  CO 

IO . . . .  *27.  220 

31 .  180 

13-17 .  69,  97 

i5 .  97 

*2  C— 77 .  2  7  A. 

31'  32  -.’. .  .  57 

34 . IDI'  207 

6:5 . .  1 12 

36 .  118,  153 

39-  40.. .  10 

12  !  2*2 .  Q7 

13 .  25° 

13-16 .  221 

46 .  187 

24,  etc .  106 

26 _ ,  -  -  T  .  .  T  .  .  268,  277 

47-49  .  X2I,  279 

47 .  177 

27 . .  1 1 A.  1 17.  IQI.  277 

40 . .  177 

20 . . . .  271 

7*  0 .  202 

OI .  IO.  20,  lie; 

IQ— 23 .  6,  32.  <?8.  3Q 

32 .  X05,  269 

qi; . . . .  224. 

27  .  .  36 

II—31:  ...  . . . .  6l 

36 . 261, 270 

40-43 . 280 

*4:6 . 203 

8 .  103 

17— IC .  40.  CC 

37-46  .  65 

44' 45 .  54 

47  .  57'  203 

48  . 204 

8:  10  .  173.  177 

IQ . . . .  C  C 

TO— 21 .  . .  4C 

x8 . .  .  60 

22 . . .  54 

20,  21 .  69 

21 . .  102 

45'  46 .  59 

CO  . . .  214 

22 . . .  242 

n  :  16 . . .  14.0 

24,  etc .  xo6 

18 . .  ......  41 

24 . . . .  103.  166.  242 

22 . .  . .  100,  102 

25. .  295 

23 .  . .  186 

27  .  38,  67,  98,  129 

28  . .  103 

26  .  279 

27  . . .  27C 

00 . . .  68,  08 

7  C . . .  14 

31  .  i32 

32  . . .  I37 

41 .  X75, 173 

44 . . .  102 

34 .  42,  77,  78 

36 .  77  3/s,  124 

41,  42 .  98,  117 

42 .  « 

48  . .  210 

56 .  24,  64,  266 

58 .  62,  64 

10 :  2 . . .  85 

48.  40 . . .  SO.  60 

7 .  . . . . 2  CO 

4Q .  CC.  171 

7 .  _  . . . .  62 

61-63 . .  •••  33'  “I,  125 

62 .  . 273 

7A .  7Q.  IQ4,  108 

8 .  62 

13-15 .  60,  178 

16 .  149,  150 

18-21 .  71,  118 

16  : 15 .  223,  252 

17,  18 . .  253 

19 .  222 

18 .  100 

iq .  .  252 

21  .  124.  178,  177 

20 .  223 

22.  92, 104, 114,  116, 124, 146, 191, 195 

INDEX . 


307 


Chap.  Luke.  page 

jo  :  23,  24 . . .  02, 172 

■  Chap.  Luke.  page 

42 . . .  1 7 1 

ii :  2 .  240 

1  .  *yi  00 

15-22 . 82, 118 

•5 . 

18 . 69 

20 .  TT7.  T^C.  T  c;6 

19 . 166, 203, 242 

22 . . .  n8 

21 .  69 

23 .  t6t 

2Q . . .  TO 

28 .  58,  63,  66 

31 .  in,  178 

82 .  V 1 0  178 

°  . 

12  : 1 .  248 

84 .  68.  08 

28 .  202 

27 .  28.  102 

48 . . . . . ,  27 1 

42 .  . .  77  bis.  12 4.  18^ 

49-53 .  28 

42 .  78 

44 .  78 

18  :  27 .  . .  toc 

32,  33 .  54 

33 .  96,  i85 

52,  53  .  59,  69 

53  .  55,  100 

67,  68 . . . .  70 

*  . .  *  x/y 

60.  70 . .  82.  IT.  T2£ 

14  :  27 .  t86 

23J2 . . .  34.234 

33 .  iSe 

15:  .  c-7 

28 . T  - .  66,  83 

J  . .  3/,  J.04 

31 .  '  83 

16:18 .  120 

24  .  70.  124,  128 

17  :  6 .  ono 

42  .  80.  20 S 

46 .  42.  80. 124. 138 

24 : 25-27 .  38 

26-30 .  268 

18:14 .  260 

26  .  136,  299 

27  .  14 

20  . . . . 42.  47 

X .  . . 1  A/5 

18,  19 .  87 

22 .  tS^ 

43  .  8a 

44  .  . .  28.  ^0,  126,  172 

3I-33 .  3 7,  102  bis. 

81 .  .  .  crcr 

46 .  38, 136 

48 .  2^1 

3  .  JJ 

4Q . . . . . . .  128.  I S7 

“  . * . .  D/i  X/D 

l9  :  5 .  54,57 

10 .  25,  85 

12.  18 .  97D 

John. 

1  !  . . .  8 

I  .  .  .  . .  22 

•0 . . . * . .  *  i  / 

2 . . . .  Q< 

16-27 . . .  282 

16 .  277 

O  Ss  J 

18  . 23,  91,  152,  2 1 1 

36 .  53 

2Q . . .  c;2 

. .  . . .  -^  /  / 

41 . . .  20 

. .  . .  ^  J  / 

42  - . .  .  ^7,  24Q 

oA  . . .  00 

44 .  172 

17  .  37,  220 

18  .  120,  281 

23 .  97 

45 .  3° 

48  .  q6 

49  .  3°,  128 

so .  21.12s 

. . . . . .  vy*  y/ 

51 . 100, 1 16 

2:4 . . . .  ..  44,  101 

21 :  8 .  0.  nn 

17 .  87 

18 .  23 

27 . . . TTTT  2.68 

IQ— 21  .  102.  222 

8  !  I-II .  22Q 

33 . .  10,  20,  1 15 

ii .  19,  131,  x7i 

3°8 


INDEX. 


Chap. 

3 : 12.. . . 

13  ••• 

14.. .. 

16  . . . 

17  ... 

18 . .  .. 

19.. .. 
27-36. 
34- • • • 

4:7 . 

10. .  . . 

13,  14 

14.. .. 

19.. .. 

26. .  . . 

32.. .. 
34-- • • 
35  ... 

36.. .. 

38.. .. 

44-”. 
5:6 . 

17.. .. 

18.. .. 
19  ... 

20 .. . . 
21 

22. .  . . 

23  • . 

24.. . 

25.. .. 

26 .. . . 

27.. .. 

28. .  . . 
29  ... . 
25-29 . 
30”. 
31-37* 
3*”” 
32  ... 

33”” 

34”” 

35”-. 

36.. .. 

37”*. 

38.. .. 

39”** 
40  ... 

42 .. . . 

43 . 

45  •• 


20 . 


26 .. . . 

27.. .. 
29  ... 
32-58. 
32-35. 
35  ••• 
37--  • 


John.  page 

.  58,  96,  172 

.  19,  22,  23,  96,  109 

.  103,  166 

.  ....  166 

...  25,  126,  136,  166,  182 
.  . .  25,  28,  125,  136,  266 

.  126,  182 

.  29,  162,  170,  177 

.  3 

.  155 

.  63 

■ .  175,  196 

.  156 

• .  I56,  196,  239 

.  I77 

.  3i 

.  25,  63,  71 

. ..  25,  61,  63,  71,  85,  184 

.  56,  184 

.  1S4 

.  254 

.  53,  96,  xoo 

.  r75 

.  n,  119,  13°,  147 

.  hi 


.  20,  hi,  119,  124,  147 

.  104,  119,  124,  126,  131 

.  114,  124,  147,  191,  195 

.  124,  145,  265 

.  124,  153 

. 20,  182 

20,  125,  144,  165,  i8r,  195,  276 

.  144,  148,  165,  195 

.  41,  145,  265 

.  114,  144,  276 

.  144,  276 

.  144 

.  81,  85,  267 

.  3 

. 2,  3,  16 

.  2,  3 

.  3 

. .  ••  4,  12,  170 

.  3 

.  5,  7,  124,  136 

.  7,  13  bis,  124,  136 

.  13 

.  13,  36 

.  161 

.  97 

.  °8,  123,  134,  136 

.  124,  163 

.  36,  163 

.  56,  84 

.  8,  46 

.  97 

.  124 

.  182 


•  •  - .  244 

.  200 

.  182 

114,  175,  182,  191 


Chap. 

6  :  39  ••  • 

40  .  . 

44,  45 

46.. .. 
47  ... 
50-58 
51.”. 
52  .* 

57”  •• 
58  ... 

62 .. . . 

63 .. . . 
66-71 
70,  71. 

7  :  6-8 . . . 

7  . 

8  .... 

16. .  . . 
1 7”. 

18. . .. 
19  ... 

21 .. . . 
23  ... 

27.. .. 
28  ... 

29 .. . . 
33”” 
37”** 

38  ... 

39  ••• 

8  :  1-11 . . 

11 .. . . 
12  .  . . 
13”” 
14  ... 
i5”. 
16  ... 

17. .  .. 

18  .... 

19  ... 

21 _ _ 

23  .... 

24.. .. 

25  - 

26 

28 .. . . 

29.. .. 
3i”” 

34  •  •  • 

35 

36  ... 
37-”. 

38.. .. 

40.. . 

42  ... 
43”” 
44 . 


49 

50 

51 


John.  page 

. 136,  215 

.  126, 181,  182,  276 

.  193,  276 

.  151 

.  182 

.  2CO 

.  22,  23 

.  276 

.  143 

.  22,  23 

. . . 22,  103 

.  170,  195,  247 

. . . 190 

.  97,  250 

.  44,  IOI 

.  68,  162  bis,  172 

.  49 

. 145 

.  i45 

. 81,  82,  84,  301 

.  69 

.  60 

. . .  . .  60 

. . .  40,  104 

.  4°,  i°4,  136 

.  ••  22,  23,  136 

.  101,  152 

.  no,  156,  175,  181,  182 

.  156,  196,  198 

. .  196,  198 

.  50 

.  50 

.  18,  170 

.  18 

.  2,  18,  40,  92,  100 

...........  ..  ...  266 

. 142 

.  .  18 

.  13,  18 

. .  .  149 

. .  152,163 

.  22,  23 

. 9, 162, 163 

.  33 

.  145 

.  9,  33, 145 

.  73,  86,  142 

.  187 

.  162 


.  153 

.  126,  162 

.  69,  162 

. 145 

41,  i45,  162,  172 

.  22,  23,  91 

.  i77 

.  i77 

.  172,  i?7 

.  83,  84 

.  69,  82,  85,  162 

- -  81,  300 

.  188 


INDEX. 


309 


Chap. 

8:  54.... 

55*  •  •  • 

56  .. 

58.. . 
9:4  •••• 

5 . 

35-38 
37  ■ 

39.. .. 

ic  .7  .... 

9 . 

10. .  . . 

II  .  .  . 

14.. .. 

15.. .. 

16.  .  .  . 

1 7,  18 

17. .  . . 

18 .. . 

24.. .. 

25.. .. 

26. .  . . 

27.. .. 

28.. .. 

29.. .. 

30 .  •  • . 

32.. .. 

33  •  •  •  • 

36.. .. 

37-... 

38.. .. 

11:4 . 

7  . 

ix.  . . . 

M,  15 

25  •• 

26. .  . . 

27.. .. 

41.. .. 

42 .. . . 

M  •  7 . 

8  . 

9 . 

co-24. 

23- 28 
23  ... . 

24- 27. 

24.. . 

26  . . . . 

27.. .. 
28  ... 
31  ... 
32,  33- 
32-. •• 

36.. .. 

44.. .. 

45  •  •  •  • 

46  ... 

47*  •  • 
49-... 
50  ... 

13:3.-  •  • 


John.  page 

.  1,  13,  3°° 

■ .  83,  104,  151 

.  32 

. .  9,  94 

.  29,  85,  101,  137 

.  170 

.  3i,  i25 

.  9 

. .  28,  177,  267 

.  165,  183 

.  ^83 

.  25 

. .  165,  206,  219,  237  bis. 

.  99,  234,  237 

.  151,  235 

.  219 

.  ii5 

.  131 

.  136 

.  60 

.  32 

.  161 

.  99,  237,  248 

.  in,  148,  215 

.  hi,  148 

.  91,  hi,  148 

.  60,  83,  84 

.  130 

.  125,  136 

.  123 

.  5,  142 

.  125 

.  54 

.  54 

.  54,  72 

.  164,  276 

.  164 

.  128 

.  138  bis. 

.  138,  212 

.  103 

.  101,  279 

. 279 

.  72 

. 26,  76,  167 

. ••  72,  299 

.  167 

.  72, 76 

.  186,  188,  295 

.  76,  !38,  3 00 

. .  76,  300 

.  100,  1 18 

.  103,  167 

.  193 

.  182 

.  i49 

.  i49 

.  27,  170 

.  25,  28,  2 66 

.  145 

.  i45,  171 

.  23 


Chap. 

13 : 8-11. . 
10,  11 

13* ••• 

!4.... 

15-..  • 

18.. .. 

19.. .. 

23-25- 

26. .  . . 
27  ... 

30.. .. 
31-... 

32  -- 

33  ••• 

34  •  •  •  • 

35  ...  - 

36  .... 

38.. .. 
14:1...  . 

2,  3-  •  • 
4  .... 
6 . 

7 . 

9.. .  . 

10 

11. .  . . 

12  . 

13  - 

14.. .. 
16 

17.. .. 

18.. .. 

19.. .. 

20. .  . . 

21 .. . . 
22,  23 

23 .. . . 

26  _ 

27  ... 

28  ... 

29.. .. 

30.. .. 
31  .... 

15:1-5... 


3  •••■ 

4  . 

5  . 

8 . 

9 . 

10.. .. 

11 .. . . 

13.. . 

14.. . 

15  •• 

16.. .. 
18  ... 

19.. .. 

21  . . . 

22  . . . 

23 .. . . 

24,  25 


John.  page 

.  25,  205 

. -  98 

.  66,  iCg 

.  85,  209 

.  209 

.  37,  7C,  ii4,  !9° 

.  7,  9 

.  224 

.  70,  98 

.  98 


.  98,  299,  jOO 

.  "o 

.  IOI,  152 

.  188,  206 

.  II,  188 

. 254,  295 

.  .  68,  98 

.  215 

.  288 

.  152 

•  ;,  165, 171,  183, 197 

.  149 

. 58, 149, 202 

.  142,  145  bis. 

.  5,  142 

. 152,  252 

...  126,  211,  213,  301 

.  213 

157,  212,  215,  222,  238 

.  158 

...  207,  215,  238,  275 

.  IOI,  20 7 

.  ....  141,  201 

.  ...  109,  188,206,207 

.  20  7 

.  20 7,  275 

....  157,  197,  215,  222 

.  .  . . , . 214 

.  134.  152,  203 

. 7,  8,  96 

.  58,  82,  100 

.  55,  85,  132,  136 

.  x99 

.  124,  i97 

. . .  205 

.  .  .  . . 201 

.  197,  £48 

.  188 

.  131,  203,  206 

86,  131,  136,  187,  203 

.  208 

. . .  205 

.  205 

.  i45,  205 

.  190,  211,  250 

.  68 

.  68,  190 

.  68 

.  163 

.  149 

.  37 


3io 


INDEX. 


Chap. 
*5:24 . 

25  . 

26  . . . . 

27  ... . 

*6 : 3 . 

4 . 

7  . 

8  . 

8-11 . . . 
10 

12  . . . . 

*r3 . 

^14 - 

15 . 

22  . 

23  .... 

24 

25  . 

26,  27  . 

27  . 

28  . 

32  . 

33  •  •  •  • 


2  . 

3  . 

4  . 

5  . 

6  . 

7  . 

8  . 

9 . 

10. .  . . 

11 .. . . 

12 . 

13.. .. 

I5- • • - 
18,  19 

18.. .. 

20  . 

21  . 

22  . . . . 

23  .... 

24  - 

25.. .. 

26 _ 

27,  28. 

iS  .'  4—8  . . . 

9 . 

11 .. . . 

20,  21 
23 - 

36.. .. 

37  •  • - • 

19  :  11  ... 

25-27. . 

28  _ 

29  ... 

30  ... 

20  : 16 . . . , 

17  ... 


John.  page 

.  60,  162,  163 

.  83 

.  12,  23,  91,  124,  157,  215 

.  11,  58,  251 

.  68,  161 

. 8,  58  bis,  97 

.  157,  215 

.  x57 

.  239 

.  101 

.  172 

12,  I58,  215,  238,  239,  3OO 
12,  151,  158,  238,  239,  300 

.  H5>  ISI 

.  208 

.  211 

.  .  208,  211 


.  173 

.  212 

.  22,  27,  66,  203,  212 

.  22,  23,  IOI,  152 

. .  67,74,  98,  140 

.  208,  215 

.  I385  213 

.  101,  124,  300 

.  115,  144,  i64i  191 

.  «4,  195 

.  29,  86,  137 

.  21,  91,  93,  124,  300 

.  172,  192 

...., .  66 

.  23,  67,  141,  146,  172,  202 
. ...  138,  150,  192,  206,  213 

.  115,  I5°»  206,  299 

101, 152,  192,  206,  213,  237 

.  190,  215  bis. 

.  208 

.  H5,  138,  213 

.  28 

. 252 

-  12,  138,  206,  213,  219 

.  12,  141,  201,  213,  219 

.  141,  208,  296,  300 

...  13T,  141,  206,  219,  221 
.  21,  93,  131,  192,  206,  295 

.  202 

.  131,  *72,  201 

.  23 

.  8,  47 

.  215 

.  135 

.  59,  I7I 

.  70,  83,  84 

.  5i,  219.  235 

19,  27,  40,  84,  170,  235,  275 
.  135 


.  63,  79  bis. 

.  79 

.  79 

.  80 

55,  80,  134,  153,  208 


Chap.  John.  page 

20 : 19-23. . . .  223 

20  .  208 

21  .  251 

22,  23 .  250 

27 .  42,  47 

21 : 15-17 .  204,  222,  237 

15-22 .  250 

18,  19 .  254 

22  .  114,254 


Acts. 

1:4,  5 . 

7  . 

8  . 

13 . 

21 . 

2 :  14 . 

25-31  . 

3:4 . 

12  . 

4:8 . . 

25-28 .  ... . 

7:56 . 

9:  4,  5 . 

5 . 

15,  16 . 

10 :  . 

48 . 

15 :  . 

18  :  9,  10 . 

22  : 8 . 

17-21 . 

21 . 

23  :  11 . 

26  :  15 . 

16,  17 . 


.  i57 

.  105 

11,  157,  251 
. . . .  46,  221 

.  11 

.  221 

.  37 

.  221 

. 221 

. 221 

.  37 

.  4i 

.  47,  80,  162 

.  251 

.  253 

.  225 

.  222 

.  225 

. ..  216,  253 

. 162 

.  254 

.  251 

. 2^3 

. 162 

. 251 


Romans. 


238 

212 


2:2 . 

3  = . 

11 .. . . 

13  -  •• 

6  :  9-1 1 . . 
9  :  10. . . . 
11  : 23,  24 

24.. .. 

25..  .. 
12 :  i-ii.. 

11..  .. 
13  : 12.... 
15:25.... 

28 . .  . . 
45 • • •  • 


1  Corinthians. 

.  106 

.  294 

. 39,  220,  231 

.  231 

. 257 

.  11 

.  242 

.  103,  166,  203 

.  242,  245 

.  23  9 

. 238 

.  173 

.  292 

.  11 

.  41 


2  Corinthians. 
5:17 . 

1 1  =  13-15 . 

12  :  9 . 


197 

255 

216 


INDEX 


Chap.  Galatians.  page 

1:19 .  46 

17,  iS .  226 

2  : 6-9 .  .  226  bis. 

7 .  226 

11-14 .  226 

4:6 .  126 

25 .  248 

5  :  22,  23 .  239 

6  :  12,  13 . 255 


Ephesians. 

1:4 .  93 

7 .  168 

22 .  263 

2:20 .  39 

3  :  18,  19 .  206 

5  :  26,  27  . 239 


Philippians. 


2:6 .  211 

7-11 .  •••  235 

COLOSSIANS. 

1:15,16,17 .  95 

i  Timothy. 

2:6 .  168 


2  Timothy. 


2  :  19 .  106 

3  : 16 .  240 

4:17 .  140 


Hebrews. 


*  :  3 .  107,  147 

5 .  128 

2  :  6-9 .  1 12 

12 .  140,  20S,  241 

4:  14 .  213 

7  :  25 .  213 

8:1 .  213 

9:12 .  212 

12  :  2 .  299 

*3  :  8 .  48,  95 


1 : 11 ... . 

11,  12 

20. .  . 

2  : 4-6  . . . 

6-8  , 

24.. .. 
5  : 1-4  •  •  • 


1  Peter. 


23S,  240 
....  32 

. . . .  93 

227,  294 

39) 220 
...  79 

227,  250 


2  Peter. 


1 : 16,  17 .  14 

3  : 18 .  298 

1  John. 

2  r .  158 


311 


Chap.  Jude.  page 

v.  1 .  46 


1:8.... 

11. .  . . 

13  ••• 

16. . .. 

17.. . 
18  ... 

20. .  . . 

2 :  . 

1  . 

2  . 

3  . 

4.  ... 

5  - 

6  . 

7  . 

8  . 

9 . 

12. .  . . 
i3-i5- 

13*. •• 

15.. .. 
16  ... 

17.. .. 

18.. .. 
19,  20 

19.. .. 
20  . . . 

21 .. . . 

23.. .. 

25.. .. 

26  ... 

27.. .. 

28.. .. 


1,  2 
i-4 


3  . 

4 

5  ••• 

7.. .  . 

8 _ 

8-10. . 

9 . 

9,  10. 

12. .  . . 

14.. .. 

15  •• 
15)  17 

16. .  . . 

18.. .. 

20 .. . . 
21  . . . 

16 : 15.... 

19 : 8 . 

20 : 12,  15 

21 : 5  -•  • 

6  . 


Revelation. 


.  93 

.  93 

.  238 

. 262 

.  48 

...  47)  80,  287 

.  238,  251.  262 

. 25i 

.  117,  238,  251 
...  99  bis,  255 

.  99)  255 

.  99)  257 

. 262,  275 

.  162 

. 289 

.......  93,  1 17 

99  bis ,  162,  255 

.  117,  262 

.  99) 257 

.  99)256 

.  162 

.  262 

.  289 

.  117,  119,  125 

.  99 

.  99)  256 

.  258 

.  178 

. 262 

.  271 

. .  . .  263,  291 

. .  ....  291 

.  292 

.  251 

.  257 

.  99 

..  99,  117,  155 

.  262 


- .  295 

123,293 
86,  117,  236,  263 
. 99)  263 

.  99)  XI9 

. .  206 

. .  263 

. ..  133,  291,  294 
19,  95,  117,  171 

.  99 

.  99)  259 

. .  262 

.  175)  261 

. ..  176,  261,  275 

.  15O)  296 

. .  270 

.  293 

.  293 

.  288 

.  93 


312 


INDEX. 


Chap.  Revelation.  page 

21 :  9 .  234 

14 .  231 

22  :  7 . 269 

12. . . .  269 


Chap.  Revelation.  page 

22  : 13 .  93 

i*5 .  35,  47,  ”7,  176,  202 

17  . .  176 

20 . 269 


I 


K 


9 


f 


. 


9 


GAYLORD 


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